ERAS After Cholecystectomy in Kigali, Rwanda

All adult patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the CHUK and accepting to be included in the study and the ERAS protocol, will be informed of all steps of the ERAS pathway. Education and discharge plan will be discussed.

A regular ERAS pathway will be proposed. All patients will be allowed to take a regular diet until 6h and carbohydrate loading or clear fluids until 2h before surgery. Thromboembolism prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparins will be administered according to patient's comorbidities. No premedication will be administered. Combined anesthesia technique will be used: general anesthesia added to local infiltration of the surgical incision. In all cases restricted intra-operative fluid administration (6-8 ml/kg/h) and prevention of hypothermia will be used during the procedure. Moreover, no opioids will be used during the whole perioperative period. Antibiotic prophylaxis will be given in agreement with the hospital protocol. Analgesia and prevention of nausea will be given. Immediate postoperative monitoring will be performed in the recovery room where the pain numeric rating scale (NRS) will be routinely evaluated by the anesthesiologist or the NPA.

Laparoscopic approach with a 4-trocar technique will be the first choice when not contraindicated. No abdominal drainage, no nasogastric tube will be used, but, if necessary, it will be placed immediately during or after anesthesia and removed upon awakening. A bladder catheter will be placed if indicated and removed immediately after surgery.

The ERAS anesthesia postoperative care will include: intravenous paracetamol or ketamine administration when necessary, avoidance of opioids, treatment of nausea and vomiting when necessary. Pain will be assessed every 4 h using NRS pain scale by nursing staff, and paracetamol + NSAID will be given if needed.

Re-feeding will be authorized 2h to 4h after surgery with liquid diet and mobilization. Withdrawal of intravenous infusions will be performed at 6h post-operatively. Patient mobilization will be further encouraged and increased gradually. All meals will be consumed sitting at the table. At 24h after surgery, blood tests (FBC and CRP) will be performed and discharge authorized in case of normal vital signs and blood tests, absence of complications or symptoms, digestive function enabling the patient to eat without nausea or vomiting, return of intestinal transit with emission of gas (stool not required), autonomy to move and post-operative pain relief with oral analgesics. The patient will be given oral analgesia for at least 48 hours. After discharge, the surgical team will make follow-up controls by phone on day 3, 5, and 7, to detect any sign of complications during the first week. If no complaint, the outpatient clinic evaluation will be planned at postoperative 15 and 30. A last follow-up control will be performed by phone at day 90.

Data will be collected for age, gender, indications for surgery, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) class, operative time, adverse events (pain, nausea and vomiting), length of hospitalization, and intra- and post-operative complications. The expenses of surgery and in-hospital care will be calculated and analyzed. After discharge, on days 3, 10, 15, 30, and 90, patients will report outcomes that will be recorded by Surgical Recovery Scale (SRS).