Introduction of an enhanced recovery pathway results in decreased length of stay in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis undergoing posterior spinal fusion: A description of implementation strategies and retrospective before-and-after study of outcomes

Study objective: This study assessed whether implementation of an enhanced recovery-based pathway decreased length of stay without increasing readmissions among patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis undergoing posterior spinal fusion. Design: Retrospective observational before-and-after study. Setting: A tertiary children's hospital. Patients: A total of 117 patients were studied, 78 in the pre-intervention group and 39 in the post-intervention group. All patients underwent posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) in the same institution with one of two spine surgeons. Age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, and Cobb angle were comparable between the two groups. Interventions: Between the pre- and post-intervention groups an enhanced recovery protocol was developed. The pathway included standardized use of nonopioid analgesics, proactive transition to oral analgesics, scheduled antiemetics, plans for diet advancement, and specific physical therapy goals. Measurements: Outcome measurements included hospital length of stay, cumulative opioid doses in the first two postoperative days, and time to discontinuation of urinary catheter and patient-controlled analgesia. Postoperative emergency department visits, hospital readmissions and chronic pain management referrals were also measured. Pain scores on postoperative days one through four were recorded. Main results: Hospital length of stay decreased from 4.6 days to 3.8 days. Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) was discontinued one day earlier on average following pathway implementation. Average cumulative postoperative opioid use, in morphine equivalents, decreased in the first two postoperative days from 2.5 to 2.2 mg/kg. There was no change in hospital readmission rate or postoperative chronic pain referral. Conclusions: Patients undergoing PSF for AIS experienced shorter hospital stays without increased readmissions following the implementation of an enhanced recovery pathway. Development of this pathway required buy-in from multiple stakeholders and significant coordination among services. The principles used to develop this pathway may be applied in other institutions and to other patient populations using the model outlined here.

Automated summary

This study successfully decreased hospital length of stay for patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis undergoing posterior spinal fusion by implementing an enhanced recovery pathway, without increasing readmissions. The pathway included standardized pain management, proactive transition to oral analgesics, scheduled antiemetics, diet plans, and physical therapy goals.