Application of enhanced recovery after surgery in oral and maxillofacial tumor surgery

Oral and maxillofacial tumor surgery is characterized by complex anatomical structures, extensive surgical trauma, and high demands for postoperative functional reconstruction. Perioperative complications and functional impairments significantly affect patients’ recovery process, quality of life, and long-term prognosis. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), grounded in evidence-based medicine, optimizes perioperative management through multidisciplinary collaboration and demonstrates substantial application potential in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Multiple prospective studies have confirmed that standardized airway management, goal-directed fluid and temperature management, and specialized ward-based care can shorten hospital stays, facilitate early enteral nutrition and ambulation, and reduce intensive care unit admission rates and postoperative complications. However, existing ERAS studies mainly focus on traditional clinical outcomes, with insufficient attention paid to functional recovery specific to patients with oral and maxillofacial tumors after surgery, including speech, swallowing, mastication, facial expression, and psychosocial function. Based on the structure-process-outcome quality evaluation model, this review summarizes the implementation pathways and evaluation framework of ERAS in oral and maxillofacial tumor surgery. Furthermore, integrating current international evidence and a large cohort study from our team evaluating a delayed extubation strategy in patients undergoing free flap reconstruction, we demonstrate that perioperative management aligned with ERAS principles can significantly shorten hospital stays, reduce postoperative complications, and decrease medical costs while maintaining safety. Future efforts should focus on specialized pathways for oral and maxillofacial surgery, strengthening long-term functional and quality-of-life follow-up, and exploring digital and precision rehabilitation tools to promote the transition of ERAS toward a comprehensive recovery model emphasizing functional restoration and social reintegration.