WHAT IS ENHANCED RECOVERY AFTER SURGERY (ERAS)?

ERAS® is a multimodal perioperative care pathway designed to achieve early recovery for patients undergoing major surgery.

ERAS® represents a paradigm shift in perioperative care in two ways. First, it re-examines traditional practices, replacing them with evidence-based best practices when necessary. Second, it is comprehensive in its scope, covering all areas of the patient’s journey through the surgical process.

The key factors that keep patients in the hospital after surgery include the need for parenteral analgesia, the need for intravenous fluids secondary to gut dysfunction, bed rest caused by lack of mobility.

The central elements of the ERAS® pathway address these key factors, helping to clarify how they interact to affect patient recovery. In addition, the ERAS® pathway provides guidance to all involved in perioperative care, helping them to work as a well-coordinated team to provide the best care.

The ERAS strategy has been validated in colorectal surgery and is applied in other specialties including urology, thoracic, vascular, and orthopedic surgery. In colorectal surgery, ERAS pathways allow significant reduction in postoperative complications, faster functional recovery, shorter hospital stays and reduced costs, even in elderly patients. Patients within ERAS pathways mainly benefit from reduced medical complications, while surgical morbidity remains generally unchanged