Enhanced recovery after surgery: A clinical review of implementation across multiple surgical subspecialties

Abstract

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a multimodal protocol applied towards perioperative patient care. ERAS programs are implemented by a multidisciplinary team centered around the patient, incorporating outpatient clinical staff, preoperative nurses, anesthesiologists, operative nurses, postoperative recovery staff, floor inpatient nurses, dieticians, physical therapists, social workers, and surgeons. Initial studies on perioperative care measures focused on cardiac surgery. Subsequently, the development of the ERAS Study Group in 2001 focused on colorectal surgery and postoperative outcome measures. Today, ERAS protocols have been implemented across many surgical subspecialties including: bariatric, breast, plastic, cardiac, colorectal, esophageal, head and neck, hepatic, gynecologic, neurosurgical, orthopedic, pancreatic, thoracic, and urologic surgery. The goal of ERAS programs is to promote rapid recovery as quantified by decreasing the length of hospital stay, complications, and cost of specific surgical interventions. In the setting of the opioid crisis in America, there is also an increasing focus on minimizing perioperative narcotic use. The purpose of this review is to compare ERAS protocols across surgical subspecialties, focusing on quantified metrics of improvement, and to provide a clear and concise summary of the literature in regards to current ERAS practices and success rates.