Impact of enhanced recovery after surgery on stoma-related complications following colorectal cancer surgery

[Objectives] To investigate the impact of perioperative enhanced recovery after surgery protocols on stoma-related complications in colorectal cancer patients. [Methods] A retrospective analysis was conducted on 166 colorectal cancer patients who underwent surgery with stoma formation at our hospital between January 2020 and December 2022. Patients were divided into an observation group (enhanced recovery after surgery, n=113) and a control group (non- enhanced recovery after surgery, n=53). Propensity score matching was used to control the confounders to ensure the balance of data, resulting in 87 patients in the observation group and 48 in the control group. Primary outcome measures included stoma-related complications (moisture-related dermatitis around the stoma, stoma mucosal separation, and stoma ischemia/necrosis) at 1 month postoperatively. Secondary outcomes measures encompassed the ostomy adjustment inventory-20, the stoma quality of life, and the patient satisfaction with decision-making participation scale. [Results] The incidence of stoma-related complications in the observation group (32.2%, 28/87) was lower than that in the control group (70.8%, 34/48) with statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Specifically, the incidences of moisture-related der-matitis around the stoma, stoma mucosal separation, and stoma ischemia/necrosis were significantly lower in the observation group (P<0.05). The score of the ostomy adjustment inventory-20 in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the score of the patient satisfaction with decision-making participation scale was better than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the scores of the stoma quality of life between the two groups (P>0.05). [Conclusion] Enhanced recovery after surgery protocols reduce stoma-related complications, enhance stoma adaptation, and improve patient satisfaction with decision-making participation, demonstrating potential advantages in colorectal cancer surgery.