Objective: To study the effects of introducing an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol, modified for gynecological surgery, on length of stay and complications following abdominal hysterectomy.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orebro University Hospital, Sweden.

Population: Eighty-five patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy for benign or malignant indications between January and December 2012, with or without salpingo-oophorectomy. Outcomes were compared with all consecutive patients who had undergone the same surgery from January to December 2011, immediately before establishing the ERAS protocol (n = 120).

Methods: The ERAS protocol was initiated in January 2012 as part of a targeted implementation program. Data were extracted from patient records and from a specific database.

Main outcome measures: Length of stay and the proportion of patients achieving target length of stay (2 days).

Results: Length of stay was significantly reduced in the study population after introducing the ERAS protocol from a mean of 2.6 (SD 1.1) days to a mean of 2.3 (SD 1.2) days (p = 0.011). The proportion of patients discharged at 2 days was significantly increased from 56% pre-ERAS to 73% after ERAS (p = 0.012). No differences were found in complications (5% vs. 3.5% in primary stay, 12% vs. 15% within 30 days after discharge), reoperations (2% vs. 1%) or readmission (4% vs. 4%).

Conclusions: Introducing the ERAS protocol for abdominal hysterectomy reduced length of stay without increasing complications or readmissions.

Background: The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol combines unimodal evidence-based interventions aiming to enhance recovery after surgery and reduce length of stay (LOS). We introduced an ERAS protocol in gynecological surgery and compared outcomes after hysterectomies performed for malignant vs. benign indications.

Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Örebro University Hospital, Sweden, among 121 consecutive patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy for malignant (n = 40) or benign (n = 81) indications between 2012 and 2014. Clinical data were prospectively collected and extracted from the patient records and from a specific database. The primary outcomes were LOS and proportion of patients achieving target LOS (2 days).

Results: Patients operated for malignant vs. benign disease did not differ significantly in terms of LOS (2 (1-5) vs. 2 (1-11) days; p = 0.505), proportion discharged at target LOS (62 vs. 69%; p = 0.465; OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.3-1.6), complications (2 vs. 7% in primary stay, 8 vs. 11% within 30 days after discharge), re operations (0 vs. 2%), or readmissions (2 vs. 1%).

Conclusion: The ERAS protocol may be equally applicable to patients undergoing hysterectomy either for a malignant or for a benign disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Surgery causes inflammatory and metabolic responses in the body. The aim of the study was to investigate whether robotic-assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy induces less insulin resistance than abdominal hysterectomy, and to compare inflammatory response and clinical recovery between the two techniques.

METHODS: A randomised controlled study at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Örebro University Hospital, Sweden. Twenty women scheduled for a planned total hysterectomy with or without salpingo-oophorectomy between October 2014 and May 2015, were randomly allocated to robotic-assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy or abdominal hysterectomy. Insulin resistance after surgery was measured by the hyperinsulinemic normoglycaemic clamp method, inflammatory response measured in blood samples, and clinical recovery outcomes registered.

RESULTS: There were no differences in development of insulin resistance between the robotic group and the abdominal group (mean ± SD: 39% ± 22 vs. 40% ± 19; p = 0.948). The robotic group had a significantly shorter hospital stay (median 1 vs. 2 days; p = 0.005). Inflammatory reaction differed; in comparison to the robotic group, the abdominal group showed significantly higher increases in serum interleukin 6 levels, white blood cell count and cortisol from preoperative values to postoperative peak values.

CONCLUSIONS: Robotic laparoscopic surgery reduced inflammatory responses and recovery time, but these changes were not accompanied by decreased insulin resistance.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no NCT02291406.