Application of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery in the Perioperative Period for Elderly Patients with Lung Cancer.

Objective: To explore a model suitable for enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) for elderly patients with lung cancer in this region.

Methods: A total of 200 elderly patients with lung cancer who were admitted to our department and received thoracoscopic surgery from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, were enrolled as observation subjects and were randomly assigned to an ERAS group (100 cases) and a control group (100 cases). All patients were aware of and agreed to enter the study, and the protocols were approved by the hospital ethics committee (2021 Medical Ethics Review 26). The incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications, duration of postoperative chest tube, postoperative pain, and pulmonary function (including forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)) on postoperative day 7 were compared between the 2 groups.

Results: The incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications was significantly lower in the ERAS group (8.00%) than in the control group (18.00%). The incidence of postoperative atelectasis in the ERAS group (2%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (10%). The duration of postoperative chest tube in the ERAS group (2.57 ± 0.72 days) was significantly shorter than that in the control group (3.92 ± 1.54 days). The postoperative pain score of the ERAS group (2.14 ± 0.86) was significantly lower than that of the control group (3.78 ± 1.15). On postoperative day 7, both FVC and FEV1 in the ERAS group were significantly better than those in the control group. SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis, and the < .05 was considered clinically significant.

Conclusion: The ERAS model established in our department can reduce the incidence of postoperative complications, relieve postoperative pain, and better protect the lung function of elderly patients with lung cancer. The model is worth promoting because it enhances recovery after surgery and reduces the family burden of patients.