ERAS in Autologous Breast Reconstruction: A Pilot RCT

Over 26,000 Canadian women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and 1 in 3 patients undergo mastectomy. With an upward of 40% of breast cancer patients seeking post-mastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR), there is a significant opportunity to improve the quality of perioperative care for breast reconstruction patients. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a multidisciplinary, multimodal, and evidence-based approach to perioperative care that safely reduces hospital length of stay and opioid use following colorectal surgery. ERAS recommendations have been proposed for women undergoing autologous PMBR who typically stay in hospital 4 to 5 days after surgery. However, the evidence to support ERAS in breast reconstruction is limited to observational studies compared to the numerous clinical trials in colorectal surgery. The goal of this study is to address this knowledge gap by evaluating the feasibility of conducting a RCT comparing ERAS to standard perioperative care.