Optimizing surgical outcomes for elderly gallstone patients with a high body mass index using enhanced recovery after surgery protocol

BACKGROUND Rehabilitation of elderly patients with a high body mass index(BMI)after cholecystectomy carries risks and requires the adoption of effective perioperative management strategies.The enhanced recovery after surgery(ERAS)protocol is a comprehensive treatment approach that facilitates early patient recovery and reduces postoperative complications.AIM To compare the effectiveness of traditional perioperative management methods with the ERAS protocol in elderly patients with gallbladder stones and a high BMI.METHODS This retrospective cohort study examined data from 198 elderly patients with a high BMI who underwent cholecystectomy at the Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital from August 2019 to August 2022.Among them,99 patients were managed using the traditional perioperative care approach(non-ERAS protocol),while the remaining 99 patients were managed using the ERAS protocol.Relevant indicator data were collected for patients preoperatively,intraoperatively,and postoperatively,and surgical outcomes were compared between the two groups.RESULTS The comparison results between the two groups of patients in terms of age,sex,BMI,underlying diseases,surgical type,and preoperative hospital stay showed no statistically significant differences.However,the ERAS group had a significantly shorter preoperative fasting time than the non-ERAS group(4.0±0.9 h vs 7.6±0.9 h).Regarding intraoperative indicators,there were no significant differences between the two groups of patients.However,in terms of postoperative recovery,the ERAS protocol group exhibited significant advantages over the non-ERAS group,including a shorter hospital stay,lower postoperative pain scores and postoperative hunger scores,and higher satisfaction levels.The readmission rate was lower in the ERAS protocol group than in the non-ERAS group(3.0%vs 8.1%),although the difference was not significant.Furthermore,there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of postoperative nausea and vomiting severity,postoperative abdominal distention at 24 h,and daily life ability scores.CONCLUSION The findings of this study demonstrate that the ERAS protocol confers significant advantages in postoperative outcomes following cholecystectomy,including reduced readmission rates,decreased postoperative nausea and vomiting,alleviated abdominal distension,and enhanced functional capacity.While the protocol may not exhibit significant improvement in early postoperative symptoms,it does exhibit advantages in long-term postoperative symptoms and recovery.These findings underscore the importance of implementing the ERAS protocol in the postoperative management of cholecystectomy patients,as it contributes to improving patients'recovery and quality of life while reducing health care resource utilization.

Application of a paraplegic gait orthosis in thoracolumbar spinal cord injury

Paraplegic gait orthosis has been shown to help paraplegic patients stand and walk, although this method cannot be individualized for patients with different spinal cord injuries and functional recovery of the lower extremities. There is, however, a great need to develop individualized paraplegic orthosis to improve overall quality of life for paraplegic patients. In the present study, 36 spinal cord（below T4） injury patients were equally and randomly divided into control and observation groups. The control group received systematic rehabilitation training, including maintenance of joint range of motion, residual muscle strength training, standing training, balance training, and functional electrical stimulation. The observation group received an individualized paraplegic locomotion brace and functional training according to the various spinal cord injury levels and muscle strength based on comprehensive systematic rehabilitation training. After 3 months of rehabilitation training, the observation group achieved therapeutic locomotion in 8 cases, family-based locomotion in 7 cases, and community-based locomotion in 3 cases. However, locomotion was not achieved in any of the control group patients. These findings suggest that individualized paraplegic braces significantly improve activity of daily living and locomotion in patients with thoracolumbar spinal cord injury.