To explore the application of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in the perioperative period of lung transplantation.
We retrospectively collected the clinical data of 27 lung transplant patients who underwent ERAS during the perioperative period, while 12 lung transplant patients receiving routine treatment served as controls. General information was collected, including the specific implementation plan of ERAS, the incidence of complications and survival rate during the perioperative period (<30 d), postoperative hospitalization indicators, the postoperative length of stay, and numerical rating scale (NRS) scores.
Comparison of postoperative hospitalization indicators, the ERAS group compared with the control group, there were significant differences in postoperative ICU stay time (2.0(2.0,4.0) vs 4.5(3.0,6.0), p = 0.005), postoperative hospital stay time (18(15,26) vs 24(19.5,32.75), p = 0.016), duration of nasogastric tube (3(2,3) vs 4(2.25,4.75), p = 0.023), and first ambulation time (4(3,5) vs 5.8(4.5,7.5), p = 0.004). There was no significant difference in postoperative invasive mechanical ventilation time, time to eat after surgery, duration of urinary catheter and duration of chest tube between the ERAS group and the control group (p>0.05). The perioperative survival of the ERAS group was 81.5%, which was higher than the control group (66.7%), but there is no statistically significant difference. Comparison of post-extubation NRS scores, the ERAS group had lower NRS scores at 12 h (5.30 ± 0.14 vs 6.25 ± 0.75), 24 h (3.44 ± 0.64 vs 5.58 ± 0.9), 48 h (2.74 ± 0.66 vs 4.08 ± 0.79) and 72 h (1.11 ± 0.80 vs 2.33 ± 0.49) than the control group, the difference was statistically significant (p<0.01). Intra-group comparison, post-extubation 12 h comparison post-extubation 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, the NRS scores showed a gradual downward trend, the difference was statistically significant (p<0.01). In the comparison of perioperative complications, the ERAS group had a lower postoperative infection incidence than the control group, the difference was statistically significant (44.4% vs 83.3%, p = 0.037). The ERAS group had lower postoperative delirium incidence than the control group, the difference was statistically significant (11.1% vs 50%, p = 0.014). There was no significant difference in the incidence of acute rejection, primary graft loss (PGD), gastrointestinal (GI) complications and airway complications between two groups (p>0.05).
The ERAS can be applied to lung transplant patients to relieve postoperative pain, shorten postoperative tube time, and shorten postoperative stay. Perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation exercises are beneficial to reducing the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications.
The role of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in gallbladder cancer (GBC) is not well established. We sought to evaluate the effect of NAT on postoperative outcomes following surgical resection of GBC. We hypothesized that patients receiving NAT would have similar rates of 30-day mortality, readmission, and postoperative complications (e.g. bile leakage and liver failure) compared to those who did not receive NAT.
The 2014–2017 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) Procedure-Targeted Hepatectomy database was queried for patients that underwent surgery for GBC. Propensity scores were calculated to match patients in a 1:2 ratio based on age, comorbidities, functional status, and tumor staging.
A total of 37 patients undergoing NAT were matched to 74 patients without NAT. There was no difference in any matched characteristics. Compared to the NAT group, the no NAT cohort had similar rates of postoperative bile leakage (NAT 13.5 % vs. no NAT 10.8 %, p = 0.31), postoperative liver failure (5.4 %, vs. 8.1 %, p = 0.60), 30-day readmission (10.8 % vs. 10.8 %, p = 1.00), and 30-day mortality (10.8 % vs. 2.7 %, p = 0.075). All 30-day complications were similar except for a higher rate of postoperative blood transfusion (NAT 32.4 % vs. no NAT 10.8 %, p = 0.005).
In patients undergoing surgical resection for GBC, those with and without NAT had similar rates of readmission and 30-day mortality, however NAT was associated with an increased risk for transfusion. Despite use of a large national database, this study may be underpowered to adequately assess the effect of NAT on perioperative GBC outcomes and thus warrants further investigation.
Surgical conditions account for 11 % of the global burden of disease, with over 313 million surgical procedures performed worldwide each year. This underscores the critical need to train more surgeons, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where disparities in access to surgical services persist due to a limited number of trained professionals. However, in resource-restricted settings, surgical education is often hampered by ethical, logistical, and financial challenges associated with the use of cadavers, leading to significant skill gaps that can negatively impact patient outcomes and exacerbate healthcare disparities. The advent of advanced technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR), offers a promising alternative for enhancing surgical training. This paper explores the potential of VR to revolutionize surgical education in resource-constrained environments and addresses key considerations for its effective implementation.