Postoperative outcome and complications of fast-track colorectal surgery vs. traditional colorectal surgery

Introduction: Colorectal surgical procedures vary in complexity, with fast-track approaches aiming to expedite recovery by minimizing stress responses. Postoperative strategies like multimodal analgesia and early mobilization enhance outcomes. Despite proven benefits, some practitioners still favour traditional methods due to concerns or unfamiliarity. Therefore, comparative studies are crucial for guiding clinical decisions and advancing patient care.
Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study evaluated outcomes and complications in patients who underwent fast track and traditional colorectal surgery from 2016 to 2023. Data were collected retrospectively with analysed.
Results: The study encompassed 298 patients undergoing colorectal surgery, with 68.8% undergoing fast track and 31.2% for traditional procedures. Surgical Site Infection (SSI) prevailed as the primary complication in both groups. Remarkably, traditional surgery exhibited a mortality rate of 0.7% (n = 2), whereas fast track surgery reported no fatalities. Hospital stays were notably shorter for fast-track surgery, with a median duration of 5 days (range: 2 - 18), compared to 7 days (range: 4 - 20) for traditional surgery. In pain management strategies emerged, as fast-track surgery favoured multimodal analgesia and regional anaesthesia, contrasting with the prevalent use of opioids in traditional colorectal surgery.
Conclusions: Fast track surgery showed reduced complications, absence of mortality, and shorter hospital stays, emphasizing the benefits of multimodal analgesia and regional anaesthesia. It highlights superior outcomes compared to traditional colorectal surgery.