Thoracic epidural-based Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathway for Nuss repair of pectus excavatum shortened length of stay and decreased rescue intravenous opiate use

A thoracic epidural-based ERAS pathway for Nuss repair reduced hospital stay by 1.3 days and decreased rescue IV opiate use from 35% to 9%, without compromising pain control or increasing complications. This approach offers an effective alternative to PCA- and block-based protocols for pectus excavatum repair.