Efficacy of the enhanced recovery after surgery protocol in robotic colorectal surgery patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Yongheng Jia, Siyuan Yin, Jialin Wang, Junwei Shao, Zhonghang Xu, Xuedong Fang

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis

In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of robotic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yongheng JiaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Colorectal and Anal Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xian Tai Street, Changchun, 130000, China.

Siyuan YinDepartment of Anaesthesiology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xian Tai Street, Changchun, 130000, China.

Jialin WangDepartment of Gastrointestinal Colorectal and Anal Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xian Tai Street, Changchun, 130000, China.

Junwei ShaoDepartment of Gastrointestinal Colorectal and Anal Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xian Tai Street, Changchun, 130000, China.

Zhonghang XuDepartment of Breast Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xian Tai Street, Changchun, 130000, China. xzh0226@jlu.edu.cn.

Xuedong FangDepartment of Gastrointestinal Colorectal and Anal Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xian Tai Street, Changchun, 130000, China. fangxd@jlu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study systematically determined the role of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol in patients undergoing robotic colorectal surgery. To identify relevant studies, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Wanfang Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were thoroughly searched, covering the records available up to December 2025. The primary outcomes assessed were hospital length of stay, time to first flatus, reoperation rate, and overall postoperative complication incidence; secondary outcomes included anastomotic leak rate and postoperative intra-abdominal infection rate. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool version 2.0 was utilized for assessing methodological quality. Quantitative synthesis was conducted with Review Manager version 5.4. Six randomized controlled trials, encompassing 1422 patients, met the inclusion criteria. Among these patients, 613 patients received ERAS-based care, and 809 patients were managed with conventional perioperative protocols. Pooled analyses revealed an association of ERAS-based care with a shorter hospitalization duration and earlier postoperative bowel function recovery. Additionally, ERAS group patients had lower rates of overall postoperative complications and anastomotic leak. In contrast, the ERAS-based care and standard care groups did not differ considerably in reoperation rates and postoperative intra-abdominal infection rates. Taken together, these findings suggest that ERAS protocol application is feasible and safe in patients receiving robotic colorectal surgery, offering benefits in terms of accelerated recovery without increasing the risk of adverse postoperative outcomes.

Indexed as

Enhanced Recovery After SurgeryRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRobotic Surgical ProceduresColorectal Surgical ProceduresHumansLength of StayPostoperative ComplicationsRecovery of FunctionReoperationTreatment OutcomeColorectal surgeryEnhanced recovery after surgeryOutcome assessmentRobotic surgery

Identifiers

PMID41866639

DOI10.1111/anae.16324

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.