Application of enhanced recovery after surgery in perioperative patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer: A meta-analysis

Background: To analyze the effect of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in perioperative patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer (GC). Methods: We searched the literature databases of PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and Web of Science (https:// www.webofscience.com/) for studies related to ERAS and laparoscopic surgery for GC from their inception till October 2022, and the retrieved articles were further screened for analysis. The literature quality was evaluated based on the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The endpoints included the first postoperative exhaust time, first postoperative bowel movement, length of stay, complications and hospitalization expenses. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. Results: 11 studies were included, involving 2039 patients. Meta-analysis showed that the first postoperative exhaust and bowel movement were earlier and the length of stay was shorter in the experimental group (e.g.,) than in the control group (CG) (P <.05). Moreover, a lower incidence of complications and markedly reduced hospitalization expenses were determined in for example (P <.05). Due to the heterogeneity in the comparison of indicators such as the first postoperative exhaust and bowel movement across articles, a funnel plot was drawn for observations. The plot was found to be basically symmetrical, indicating small results bias and reliable reference significance of our findings. Conclusion: ERAS for perioperative patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for GC can effectively shorten the postoperative rehabilitation cycle of patients, improve surgical safety and reduce treatment costs.