Enhanced recovery after thoracic surgery in low- and middle-income countries: Feasibility and outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) applies multimodal, perioperative, and evidence-based practices to decrease postoperative morbi-mortality, the length of hospital stay, and hospitalization costs. Implementing enhanced recovery after thoracic surgery (ERATS) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is problematic. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of an ERATS protocol adapted to LMIC conditions in Tunisia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted this randomized controlled trial between December 2015 and August 2017 in the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Department at Habib Bourguiba University Hospital of Sfax, Tunisia.

RESULTS

One hundred patients undergoing thoracic surgery were randomly allocated to the ERATS group or Control group. During the postoperative phase, 13 patients (13%) were excluded secondary. These complication rates were lower in the ERATS group: lack of reexpansion (14.63% vs 16.10%:

CONCLUSION

This study provides an adapted ERATS protocol, applicable regardless of the surgical approach or the type of resection and suitable for LMIC hospital's conditions. This protocol can improve the postoperative outcomes of thoracic surgery.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.