Four distinct trajectories of postoperative recovery identified.

The study identified four postoperative quality of recovery (QoR) trajectories among 206 esophagectomy patients: poor QoR (18.4%), poor to moderate QoR (40.3%), moderate to good QoR (24.8%), and good QoR (16.5%). Key predictors of poor QoR included preoperative nutritional risk, lower QoR-15 scores, longer surgical duration, and higher postoperative pain scores during coughing. These findings emphasize the necessity for targeted interventions to enhance postoperative recovery outcomes.