Purpose: The goal of this study was to compare our institution’s recently implemented enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol to previous post-operative management for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion, specifically assessing length of stay, opioid consumption, and pain scores.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis that compares the length of stay, opioid consumption, and pain scores of patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Patients were analyzed prior to the implementation of our ERAS protocol, deemed the traditional pain pathway (TPP), to those who underwent the ERAS pathway. All patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were included. Patients were excluded if they weighed less than 40kg, had significant comorbidities, or had non-idiopathic causes of scoliosis.

Results: We examined 22 patients in the TPP cohort and 20 in the ERAS cohort. Length of stay in the ERAS cohort was significantly reduced compared to the TPP by 1.7 days (P<0.01). Overall opioid consumption was also significantly reduced in the ERAS with 1.4 ± 0.7 morphine equivalents (ME)/kg compared to the TPP 2.4 ± 1.1 ME/kg (P < 0.01). We found no difference in pain scores between the two groups.

Conclusion: Implementation of an ERAS pathway at our institution significantly reduced length of stay and opioid consumption in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion. These outcomes reduce morbidity and costs associated with posterior spinal fusion and provide an overall improvement in the quality of care for our patients.