Value of enhanced recovery after surgery in patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with intravenous anaesthesia for choledocholithiasis: a retrospective observational study

INTRODUCTION: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is rarely used in minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, especially in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). AIM: This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ERAS protocol in patients undergoing ERCP for choledocholithiasis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study had a retrospective design and included patients with biliary tract stones who underwent ERCP between June 2019 and November 2022. Patients who received the ERAS protocol between June 2021 and November 2022 were enrolled as an ERAS group, and those who received traditional perioperative treatment between December 2019 and May 2021 were enrolled as a control group. RESULTS: A total of 349 patients were enrolled (ERAS group, n = 185; control group, n = 164). The cannulation and stone extraction success rates were significantly higher in the ERAS group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative pancreatitis was significantly lower in the ERAS group (p = 0.02), but there were no significant differences in other complications. The postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the ERAS group than in the control group (p < 0.001), with no statistically significant differences in costs according to surgical period, or in total costs, between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Application of the ERAS protocol is safe and feasible in patients undergoing ERCP for choledocholithiasis. The ERAS protocol can accelerate recovery, reduce postoperative pain, and shorten the hospital stay without increasing the cost of treatment.