Clinical Study of Applying Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Concept in Single-Segment Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Surgery

Objective: With the aging population and changes in lifestyle, lumbar spinal stenosis has become a common spinal disorder. Treatment modalities have been advancing, and the application of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) principles provides a new approach to postoperative recovery in patients. This study aims to investigate the clinical application effects of ERAS principles in single-level lumbar spinal stenosis surgery. Methods: This study included 64 patients who underwent lumbar fusion surgery in the Spinal Surgery Department of Baise People’s Hospital from July 2022 to July 2024. These patients were divided into an experimental group (ERAS group, 33 cases) and a control group (conventional group, 31 cases) based on perioperative care, receiving ERAS principles and traditional treatment, respectively. A comparison was made between the two groups in terms of gender, age, BMI, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, hospital costs, VAS scores (preoperative/postoperative day 3), and ODI scores (preoperative/postoperative day 3). Results: There were no significant differences in gender, age, and BMI between the ERAS group and the conventional group (gender: χ² = 0.5008, P = 0.4792; age: 54.55 ± 8.51 years vs. 57.39 ± 8.16 years, P = 0.0892; BMI: 25.11 ± 2.70 vs. 24.77 ± 2.75, P = 0.3098). However, during surgery, patients in the ERAS group had significantly less blood loss than those in the conventional group (197.58 ± 195.51ml vs. 438.71 ± 349.22 ml, P = 0.0006), and the postoperative length of hospital stay was significantly shorter (7.00 ± 2.24 days vs. 11.55 ± 5.23 days, P = 0.0000). On postoperative day 3, VAS scores were significantly better in the ERAS group compared to the conventional group (3.70 ± 0.88 vs. 4.32 ± 0.87, P = 0.0031), and the ODI scores showed significant improvement as well (46.00 ± 3.04 vs. 48.00 ± 3.39, P = 0.0078). Although there were no significant differences in postoperative complications and hospital costs (complications: 3 cases vs. 0 cases, P = 0.2154; hospital costs: 63524.29 ± 17891.80 RMB vs. 58733.84 ± 13280.82 RMB, P = 0.1154), ERAS demonstrated better postoperative recovery outcomes in single-level lumbar spinal stenosis surgery. Conclusion: The study results support the implementation of ERAS principles in single-level lumbar spinal stenosis surgery to promote rapid recovery, reduce healthcare resource consumption, and improve