Can simple perioperative measures improve quality of recovery following ambulatory laparoscopic surgery in females? An open prospective randomised cohort study, comparing nutritional preoperative drink and chewing gum during recovery to standard care

One major goal in modern perioperative anaesthesia care is to facilitate a rapid, yet safe recovery process, with focus on improving time to regained consciousness and subsequent resuming of activities of daily living. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and gynaecological laparoscopy are a “high volume” procedure commonly performed in young females expecting rapid resumption of health. The aim of this study was to assess whether it was possible to improve patients’ self-assessed quality of recovery in female patient undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy by simple perioperative measures in the form of a preoperative 200 ml nutritional drink and chewing gum during early recovery. METHODS: Patients were randomised to an active group receiving the intervention, and controls provided with standard care only. Patients were followed by questionnaire interviews preoperatively and at 2, 24 and 48 h after surgery. The Quality of Recovery scale (QoR) 15 items and 5 additional questions around gastro-intestinal symptoms were self-assessed by patients at each occasion. RESULT: Seventy-three ASA 1–2 female patients’ undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery were included, surgery and anaesthesia was uneventful. The QoR score was significantly higher both at 24 and 48 h, 113 SD 20 vs 101 SD 25 (p = 0.026) and 123 SD 13 vs 111 SD 13 (p = 0.006) in the active group of patients as compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Simply providing 200 ml nutritional preoperative drink and chewing gum during recovery was found effective, improving patients assessed quality of recovery.