BACKGROUND: Fast-track surgery has been shown to enhance postoperative recovery in several surgical fields. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of fast-track surgery in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy. METHODS: The present study was designed as a single-center, randomized, unblinded, parallel-group trial. Patients were eligible if they had gastric cancer for which laparoscopic distal gastrectomy was indicated. The fast-track surgery protocol included intensive preoperative education, a short duration of fasting, a preoperative carbohydrate load, early postoperative ambulation, early feeding, and sufficient pain control using local anesthetics perfused via a local anesthesia pump device, with limited use of opioids. The primary endpoint was the duration of possible and actual postoperative hospital stay. RESULTS: We randomized 47 patients into a fast-track group (n = 22) and a conventional pathway group (n = 22), with three patients withdrawn. The possible and actual postoperative hospital stays were shorter in the fast-track group than in the conventional group (4.68 +/- 0.65 versus 7.05 +/- 0.65; p < 0.001 and 5.36 +/- 1.46 versus 7.95 +/- 1.98; p < 0.001). The time to first flatus and pain intensity were not different between groups; however, a greater frequency of additional pain control was needed in the conventional group (3.64 +/- 3.66 versus 1.64 +/- 1.33; p = 0.023). The fast-track group was superior to the conventional group in several factors of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, including: fatigue, appetite loss, financial problems, and anxiety. The complication and readmission rates were similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Fast-track surgery could enhance postoperative recovery, improve immediate postoperative quality of life, and be safely applied in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy.

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