An Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocol for Orthognathic Surgery Reduces Rates of Postoperative Nausea

For many surgical procedures, enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have improved patient outcomes, particularly postoperative nausea and vomiting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate postoperative nausea following orthognathic surgery after the implementation of an ERAS protocol. This retrospective cohort study included patients between 12 and 35 years old who underwent orthognathic surgery at Boston Children's Hospital from April 2018 to December 2022. Patients with syndromes or a hospital stay greater than 48 hours were excluded from the study. The primary predictor was enrollment in our institutional ERAS protocol. The main outcome variable was postoperative nausea. Intraoperative and postoperative covariates were compared between groups using unpaired t tests and chi squared analysis. Univariate and multivariate regression models with 95% confidence intervals were performed to identify predictors for nausea. A P value<0.05 was considered significant. There were 128 patients (68 non-ERAS, 60 ERAS) included in this study (51.6% female, mean age 19.02 +/- 3.25 years). The ERAS group received less intraoperative fluid (937.0 +/- 462.3 versus 1583.6 +/- 847.6 mL, P <= 0.001) and experienced less postoperative nausea (38.3% versus 63.2%, P=0.005). Enhanced recovery after surgery status (P=0.005) was a predictor for less postoperative nausea, whereas bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (P=0.045) and length of stay (P=0.007) were positive predictors for postoperative nausea in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Implementing an ERAS protocol for orthognathic surgery reduces postoperative nausea. Level of Evidence: Level III-therapeutic.