The Application of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery in Perioperative Nursing of Patients Undergoing Transoral Robotic Surgery for Oral and Pharyngeal Tumors

Objective: To summarize the application of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in the perioperative nursing of patients undergoing transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for oral and pharyngeal tumor resection. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the perioperative enhanced recovery after surgery nursing of 142 patients with oral and pharyngeal tumors who underwent transoral robotic surgery at the Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University from March 2022 to July 2025. This includes strengthening preoperative multi-disciplinary joint physical examination and assessment, preoperative preparation and psychological care, postoperative airway management, oral care, dietary management, etc., as well as the prevention and treatment of complications. Results: The average surgery time for patients was 157.3 minutes, with an average intraoperative blood loss of 77.8 mL. Ten patients (7%) underwent tracheostomy, while the remaining patients did not and showed no symptoms of airway obstruction. Postoperative bleeding occurred in nine patients (6.3%), but no damage to normal organs was observed after hemostasis. Twenty-one patients (14.8%) had postoperative pain scores greater than 4, which were alleviated after symptomatic treatment. The postoperative nasogastric tube indwelling time was (15.2 ± 10.8) days, after which all patients could eat orally. The average hospital stay was 6.5 days. Conclusions: For patients undergoing TORS resection of oral and pharyngeal tumors, when implementing perioperative care in enhanced recovery after surgery, strengthening postoperative airway management, oral care, dietary management, etc., as well as the prevention and treatment of complications, can ensure the surgical outcome and promote the patient’s recovery.