Factors associated with failure of enhanced recovery programs after laparoscopic colon cancer surgery: a single-center retrospective study

Background Although enhanced recovery programs (ERPs) have been proven to be beneficial after laparoscopic colon surgery, they may result in adverse clinical outcomes following failure. This study analyzed risk factors associated with ERP failure after laparoscopic colon cancer surgery. Methods We analyzed the outcomes of 208 patients who underwent ERPs following laparoscopic colon cancer surgery between June 2007 and April 2013. The ERP included early oral feeding, early ambulation, and regular laxative administration. ERP failure was defined as postoperative hospital stay of more than 5 days related to postoperative complications, unplanned readmission within 30 days of surgery, or death. Results Surgical procedures included anterior resection (n = 101), right hemicolectomy (n = 90), and left hemicolectomy (n = 17). The mean postoperative hospital stay was 6.5 +/- 2.3 days (range 3-24 days). ERP failure occurred in 36 patients (17.3 %), with no mortality; reasons included ileus (n = 14), wound infection (n = 4), chylous drainage (n = 3), anastomotic bleeding (n = 3), pneumonia (n = 1), or readmission (n = 11) owing to delayed complications. Univariable analysis showed that ERP failure was associated with proximal colon cancer, side-to-side anastomosis, longer operation time, increased blood loss, and longer resected specimen length. Multi-variable analysis showed that side-to-side anastomosis [odds ratio (OR) 4.534; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.902-10.811; P = 0.001] and increased blood loss (OR 1.004; 95 % CI 1.001-1.008; P = 0.041) were independent risk factors for ERP failure. Conclusions We showed that increased blood loss and side-to-side anastomosis in comparison with end-to-end anastomosis were independent risk factors associated with ERP failure after laparoscopic colon cancer surgery. This suggests that intraoperative elements may be important determinants to obtain successful postoperative recovery in the era of ERP.