Feasibility and efficacy of enhanced recovery after surgery protocol in Chinese elderly patients with intracranial aneurysm

OBJECTIVE: Intracranial aneurysm is a kind of severe intracranial disease mainly responsible for subarachnoid hemorrhage, and the rupture of intracranial aneurysm results in a mortality rate of 30%–40%. For the first time in the world, this study aimed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol in Chinese elderly patients with intracranial aneurysm. METHODS: In this study, 300 elderly patients with intracranial aneurysm were recruited and divided into two groups as follows: ERAS group (n=150, ERAS protocol) and control group (n=150, conventional management). RESULTS: Age of whole cohort was 65 (64–67) years with 140 males (46.7). There was no difference between two groups in baseline features of patients, such as age, sex, medical histories, percentages of aneurysmal location, aneurysmal number >1 per patient, aneurysmal diameter >5 mm, or lobular aneurysm (P>0.05 for all). There was no occurrence of death in two groups. Compared with those in the control group, patients in the ERAS group had significantly shorter length of hospital stay (P<0.05). Between two groups, patients had not only similar Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) and Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) at discharge but also occurrence of readmission at follow-up (P>0.05 for all). Patients in the ERAS group had significantly higher GOS and lower MRS at follow-up (P<0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: ERAS protocol significantly shortened the length of hospital stay and improved GOS and MRS without any increase in the mortality or readmission in Chinese elderly patients with intracranial aneurysm.