ObjectiveTo explore the incidence and influencing factors of moderate-to-poor quality of recovery (QoR) in patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). MethodsA secondary analysis was conducted based on data from a randomized controlled study on the effects of different anesthesia methods on postoperative pulmonary complications after MIE. Patients who underwent elective MIE at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from May 2019 to December 2021 were included. The QoR-15 scale was used to assess the QoR 30 days postoperatively, and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors affecting moderate-to-poor QoR (defined as a QoR-15 score≤121). ResultsA total of 541 patients were included, including 426 males and 115 females, with an average age of (63.0±8.3) years. At 30 days postoperatively, the numbers of patients with excellent, good, moderate, and poor QoR were 101 (18.7%), 273 (50.5%), 147 (27.2%), and 20 (3.7%), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that preoperative pain [OR=1.527, 95%CI (1.032, 2.258), P=0.034] and a nutrition risk screening-2002 score≥3 [OR=1.617, 95%CI (1.069, 2.447), P=0.023] were influencing factors for moderate-to-poor QoR 30 days postoperatively. ConclusionAbout 30.9% of patients undergoing MIE have a moderate-to-poor QoR 30 days postoperatively. Improving preoperative pain management and nutritional status may enhance postoperative QoR.