Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocols Following Trauma Emergency Laparotomy Versus Conventional Postoperative Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

This protocol describes a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of modified Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols compared with conventional postoperative care following trauma emergency laparotomy. The review will include adult patients undergoing laparotomy for abdominal trauma. Electronic databases will be systematically searched without language restriction. The primary outcome will be postoperative length of hospital stay. Secondary outcomes will include overall postoperative complications, surgical site infection, ileus, readmission, mortality, and other recovery-related outcomes when reported. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool. Where sufficient and comparable data are available from three studies, a random-effects meta-analysis will be performed; otherwise, results will be synthesized narratively.