Enhanced Recovery After Surgery and Radical Cystectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols aim to optimize patient recovery after major surgery. Our study was to examine the evidence of the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve patient outcomes after radical cystectomy. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane from January 2005 to January 2021 without language restrictions. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Randomized and non-randomized controlled studies implementing ERAS measuring its interventions on rates of postoperative complications, 30-day readmission, length of stay (LOS) and bowel function after radical cystectomy. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two members of the investigating team independently selected studies and evaluated bias using the Cochrane collaboration tool. Meta-analysis of all comparative studies used inversed-weighted, fixed- effects models and random effects models to pool results. Publication bias was graphically assessed using contour-enhanced funnel plots and the Egger’s test of funnel plot symmetry. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included in our meta-analysis; we observed that ERAS decreased the time for the first bowel movement (standardized mean difference [SMD]: –1.30, 95% CI −1.90 to −0.70, P<0.00001) and shortened the length of stay (LOS) ([SMD]: –0.49, 95% CI −0.77 to −0.20, (P < 0.00001)); however, 30-day readmission (risk ratio [RR]: 0.97,95% [CI] 0.73 to 1.28, P=0.52) and the overall postoperative complication rate (risk ratio [RR]: 0.98,95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88 to 1.09, P= 0.41) showed no significant difference.