The impact of a standardized Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol in patients undergoing minimally invasive heart valve surgery

An enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is a multimodal and multi-professional strategy aiming to accelerate postoperative convalescence. Pre-, intra- and postoperative measures might furthermore reduce postoperative complications and hospital length of stay (LOS) in a cost-effective way. We hypothesized that our unique ERAS protocol leads to shorter stays on the intensive care unit (ICU) and a quicker discharge without compromising patient safety. This retrospective single center cohort study compares data of n = 101 patients undergoing minimally invasive heart valve surgery receiving a comprehensive ERAS protocol and n = 111 patients receiving routine care. Hierarchically ordered primary endpoints are postoperative hospital length of stay (LOS), postoperative complications and ICU LOS. Patients risk profiles and disease characteristics were comparably similar. Age was relevantly different between the groups (56 (17) vs. 57.5 (13) years, p = 0.015) and therefore adjusted. Postoperative LOS was significantly lower in ERAS group (6 (2) days vs. 7 (1) days, p