Effect of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery with Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Postoperative Stress Response of Patients with Gastrointestinal Tumors

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine on postoperative stress response of patients suffering from gastrointestinal tumors. METHODS: A total of 74 patients with gastrointestinal tumors who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital from April 2019 to March 2021 were recruited and randomized into the control group and the observation group (1 : 1). The control group received routine treatment and care, while the observation group received ERAS plus integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Clinical observation was performed regarding changes in preoperative mood and postoperative pain level in each group. Changes in expression levels of plasma cortisol, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-β (TNF-β) before and after surgery were detected in each group. Time of patients' first fart and defecation and complications after surgery in each group were recorded. RESULTS: The visual analogue scale (VAS) of patients in the observation group after 12 and 24 h of surgery was significantly lower than that in the control group (12 h: observation group 2.0 (1.00, 3.00) vs. control group 4.00 (3.00, 5.00), p = 0.001; 24 h: observation group 2.00 (1.00, 3.00) vs. control group 3.00 (2.00, 5.00), p = 0.005). The preoperative anxiety degree of patients in the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.489). The plasma cortisol level of patients in the observation group after 24 and 48 h of surgery was significantly lower than that in the control group (24 h: observation group 426.54 ± 52.15 nmol/L vs. control group 508.32 ± 41.08 nmol/L, p = 0.001; 48 h: observation group 287.19 ± 44.24 nmol/L vs. control group 362.57 ± 43.46 nmol/L, p = 0.001). Patients' postoperative CRP, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-β expression levels in the observation group were remarkably lower than those in the control group at all time points. The first postoperative defecation came earlier in the observation group than that in the control group (observation group 76.00 h (64.50, 87.50) vs. control group 89.00 h (73.50, 116.00), p = 0.007). There was 1 postoperative urinary tract infection in the observation group and 1 postoperative intestinal obstruction and 1 incisional wound infection in the control group. CONCLUSION: ERAS with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine could effectively reduce the postoperative stress response and inflammatory reaction in patients with gastrointestinal tumors, contributing to the safe and quick recovery of gastrointestinal functions of patients.