Impact of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Combined with Bariatric Surgery Targeting Opioid Prescriptions (BSTOP) Protocol on Patient Outcomes, Length of Stay and Opioid Prescription After Bariatric Surgery

Background Evidence shows that 14.2% of opioid-naive patients have long-term opioid dependence after bariatric surgery. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols are widely used in bariatric surgery, while bariatric surgery targeting opioid prescriptions (BSTOP) protocols were recently introduced. We will investigate the combined impact of ERAS and BSTOP protocols after bariatric surgery. Methods We conducted a retrospective review for patients who underwent either a sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass at a tertiary care center. Pre-intervention and post-intervention data were compared. Primary outcomes were length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission, 30-day complications, and discharge on opioids. Multivariate Poisson regression with robust standard error was used to analyze LOS. Results There was no significant difference in 30-day emergency room visits (3.3% vs. 4.0%; p value = 0.631), 30-day readmission (4.4% vs. 5.4%; p value = 0.577) or 30-day complication rate (4.2% vs. 6.4%; p value = 0.199). LOS was significantly lower in the post-intervention group; mean (interquartile range) 2 (1–2) days vs. 1 (1–2) day, p value