A systematic review and meta-analysis of nursing effect of fast-track recovery surgery on patients undergoing total endoscopic resection of esophageal cancer: fast-track recovery surgery vs. nursing care as usual

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) is the 6th leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and the morbidity and mortality of EC have continued to increase in recent years. The results of the clinical application of the Fast-track recovery surgery (FTS) concept in nursing interventions for EC patients after total endoscopic esophagectomy are unconvincing. This study sought to evaluate the nursing effect of the fast-track recovery surgical nursing model on patients with EC after total cavity endoscopic esophagectomy. METHODS: We searched for articles on case-control trials about nursing interventions after total endoscopic esophagectomy. The search time was set from January 2010 to May 2022. The data were independently extracted by 2 researchers. RevMan5.3 statistical software (Cochrane) was used to analyze the extracted data. All the articles included in the review were assessed for risk of bias using the Cochrane Handbook 5.3 (https://training.cochrane.org/). RESULTS: Ultimately, 8 clinical controlled trials, comprising 613 cases, were identified. A meta-analysis was conducted of the extubation times, and the results showed that the study group’s extubation times were remarkably shorter. In relation to the exhaust times, the study group had significantly shorter exhaust times than control group (P<0.05). In relation to the time, it took patients to leave bed, patients in the study group left bed in a considerably shorter time compared with controls (P<0.00001). In relation to the hospitalization time, a remarkable reduction in the length of hospital stay was observed in the study group (P<0.00001). The analysis of the funnel plots showed a small number of asymmetries, suggesting that the number of articles included was small due to the heterogeneity of the studies (P<0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: FTS care is effective at accelerating patients’ postoperative recovery. This model of care needs to be further validated in the future by higher-quality and longer follow-up studies.