Early Discharge After Colorectal Surgery (RECUPERA-C)

September 14, 2026 updated by: Fundación para la Investigación del Hospital Clínico de Valencia

RECUPERA-C Study: Protocol: Personalised and Controlled Rapid Recovery After Colorectal Surgery

RECUPERA-C is a prospective observational pilot study evaluating the feasibility and safety of an early discharge strategy within 48 hours after minimally invasive colorectal surgery. The study will assess whether patients can meet predefined clinical and functional discharge criteria, and will identify factors that may prevent early discharge. C-reactive protein and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio will also be evaluated as exploratory markers of postoperative complications.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

RECUPERA-C is a prospective observational cohort study conducted within an established Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program. The study will include adult patients undergoing elective major colorectal surgery through a minimally invasive approach.

The study will evaluate a structured early discharge protocol based on predefined clinical and functional criteria. Patients will be assessed during the first 48 hours after surgery to determine whether they meet the conditions considered necessary for safe discharge. These criteria include clinical stability, adequate pain and nausea control, oral intake, gastrointestinal recovery, and functional recovery.

Patients will be followed prospectively for 30 days after surgery. The study will evaluate the proportion of patients meeting the early discharge criteria, the actual early discharge rate, reasons for prolonged hospitalisation, total length of stay, postoperative complications, readmissions, healthcare resource utilisation, and patient satisfaction.

C-reactive protein and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio will be collected as exploratory biomarkers to assess their potential association with postoperative complications and their possible role as complementary tools for risk stratification.

The study will also identify clinical, functional, social, and organisational factors that may limit implementation of the early discharge strategy. The overall aim is to determine whether a structured discharge pathway within an ERAS programme can safely and feasibly reduce hospital stay to 48 hours or less after minimally invasive colorectal surgery.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

97

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of adult patients undergoing elective major minimally invasive colorectal surgery at the participating centre.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥18 years.
  • Elective major colorectal surgery for benign or malignant disease.
  • Minimally invasive approach (laparoscopic or robotic).
  • ASA physical status I-III.
  • Functional independence in basic activities of daily living.
  • Adequate home support and the ability to access and return to the hospital if required.
  • Adequate understanding of the perioperative plan.
  • Written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Emergency surgery.
  • Significant intraoperative complications.
  • Major multivisceral resections.
  • New ostomy creation.
  • Functional dependence or significant cognitive impairment.
  • Decompensation of major comorbidities.
  • Anticipated need for postoperative admission to an intensive care unit.
  • Social circumstances that may make early discharge unsafe.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Colorectal Surgery Patients
Adult patients undergoing elective major minimally invasive colorectal surgery. A structured early discharge pathway (≤48 hours) will be applied based on predefined clinical and functional criteria.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Proportion of patients fulfilling all predefined clinical and functional criteria for early discharge (≤48 hours after surgery)
Time Frame: Within 48 hours after surgery
Proportion of patients fulfilling all predefined clinical and functional criteria for early discharge (≤48 hours after surgery)
Within 48 hours after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Fundación para la Investigación del Hospital Clínico de Valencia

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 14, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 14, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RECUPERA-C
  • 2025/431 (Other Identifier: Comité de Ética de la Investigación con medicamentos (CEIm) del Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

No plan to share individual participant data (IPD).

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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