Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway optimizes outcomes and costs for minimally invasive radical prostatectomy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway on patients undergoing minimally invasive radical prostatectomy at a single institute. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 301 patients who underwent laparoscopic or robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy from May 2014 to September 2018 were consecutively recruited. Before April 2017, the patients were treated with conventional care; all patients were treated with the ERAS pathway thereafter. The primary outcome was the postoperative length of hospital stay (LOS). The secondary outcomes were hospitalization costs and postoperative complications. RESULTS: In total, 138 patients were treated with the ERAS pathway, and the remaining patients underwent conventional care. The postoperative LOS was significantly shorter in the ERAS group than in the conventional group (median, 6 vs. 8 days). The hospitalization costs were also significantly lower in the ERAS group ($4086 vs. $5530). Ten (6.1%) patients in the ERAS group and 17 (12.3%) patients in the conventional group developed postoperative complications. The multivariable analysis showed that ERAS care was a significant independent predictive factor for a shortened LOS and reduced hospitalization costs. CONCLUSIONS: The ERAS pathway was associated with a shortened LOS and reduced hospitalization costs for patients undergoing minimally invasive radical prostatectomy.