Application Of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol Research Articles

Retroperitoneal localized neuroblastoma in children: a comparison of enhanced recovery after surgery versus traditional care.

To investigate the clinical value of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols for children with neuroblastoma (NB). This retrospective review was conducted by using the electronic medical records of 48 children with retroperitoneal localized NB who underwent tumor resection (surgery for treatment, not diagnosis) between October 2016 and September 2021. The ERAS protocols for NB excision were implemented in 28 children (ERAS group), while 20 children received traditional care (TRAD group). The same group of pediatric surgeons performed all the tumor resections. Intraoperative fluid infusion, the extent of NB resection, time of early ambulation and time of first flatus, time to total enteral nutrition (TEN) after surgery, abdominal drainages, nasogastric tubes and urinary catheters used and duration, the Face/Legs/Activity/Cry/Consolability (FLACC) quantitative table on a postoperative day 1 (POD1), 3, 5, length of stay after surgery (LOS), hospitalization expense, postoperative complications, parental satisfaction rate and readmission rate of surgical wards within 30days after operation were analyzed. The median postoperative period of early mobilization, first flatus, TEN, LOS and total cost during hospitalization were 1.0days, 2.0days, 5.5days, 9.0days and 33,397.3 yuan in the ERAS group and 3.0days, 3.0days, 7.0days, 11.0days and 38,120.3 Yuan in the TRAD group, respectively (all p < 0.05). Median intraoperative fluid volume was 5.0mL/kg/h compared to 8.0mL/kg/h and the magnitude of decrease in FLACC scores from POD1 to POD5 was greater in the ERAS group (all p < 0.05). Abdominal drainages, urinary catheters and nasogastric tubes were removed earlier in the ERAS group (p < 0.05). The satisfaction of parents in the ERAS group was slightly higher, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.762). There were no marked differences between the two groups in aspects of the extent of NB resection, operation-related complications and 30-day readmissions (all P = 1.000). Application of ERAS protocols in localized retroperitoneal NBs resection in children is feasible and safe. However, applying ERAS protocols in the surgical resection of solid tumors in children still requires much more research, especially randomized prospective research.

The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol in elderly patients with acute cholecystitis: A retrospective study.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is a perioperative management theory aimed at reducing the injury of surgical patients and accelerating postoperative recovery. It has been widely recognized and applied in elective surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of the ERAS protocol during the perioperative period of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in elderly patients with acute cholecystitis. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of the ERAS protocol during the perioperative period of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in elderly patients with acute cholecystitis. We collected medical data from 126 elderly patients with acute cholecystitis from October 2018 to August 2021. Among the 126 patients, 70 were included in the ERAS group and 56 in the traditional group. We analyzed the clinical data and postoperative indicators of the 2 groups. No significant differences were observed regarding the general characteristics of the 2 groups (P > .05). The ERAS group had significantly earlier time to first flatus, time to first ambulation, and time to solid intake, compared with the traditional group (P < .001); additionally, the ERAS group had significantly shorter stay and gentler feeling of postoperative pain (P < .001). Furthermore, the ERAS group had significant incidences of lower postoperative lung (P = .029) and abdominal cavity infection (P = .025) compared to the traditional group. No significant difference was observed regarding the incidences of other postoperative complications between the 2 groups (P > .05). The ERAS protocol helps reduce elderly patients' stress reactions and accelerate postoperative recovery. Thus, it is effective and beneficial to implement the ERAS protocol during the perioperative period of elderly patients with acute cholecystitis.

Development of a five point enhanced recovery protocol for pectus excavatum surgery

PurposeWe implemented and evaluated an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocol for Nuss procedures consisting of patient education, bowel management, pre/post-operative transitional pain service involvement, serratus anterior plane blocks and intercostal nerve cryoablation. MethodsA 5-point ERAS protocol was implemented using multiple plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles. Data was collected prospectively for patients in the full ERAS protocol and retrospectively for previous patients. The primary outcome was length of stay (LOS). Secondary outcomes were opioid consumption, pain scores, protocol compliance and patient satisfaction. The impact of PDSA cycles and the ERAS protocol was quantified using statistical process control charts and Mann Whitney U test. ResultsA total of 53 patients were identified, 13 within the ERAS protocol and 40 prior to introduction. There was no difference in age, sex, or Haller index between the two cohorts. The median LOS was decreased by 3 days in the ERAS cohort (P = 0.00001). There was decreased opioid consumption on post-operative day 1 (1.47 vs 1.96 MME/kg, p = 0.009) and overall (3.12 vs 6.35 MME/kg, p = 0.0042) in the ERAS cohort. Median pain scores did not differ between cohorts. ERAS bundle element compliance was: education 92%, bowel management 100%, transitional pain involvement 100%, serratus block 100% and cryoablation 100%. The 1-month survey revealed that 92% of patients were satisfied with their experience. ConclusionOur results demonstrate significant reduction in LOS and a trend to decreasing opioid consumption in hospital following ERAS protocol implementation and support the further application of ERAS protocols in pediatrics. Level of evidence:III – Retrospective comparative study.

Short-term outcomes of enhanced recovery after surgery protocol in robotic-assisted McKeown esophagectomy for esophageal cancer: a single-center retrospective cohort study.

This study aimed to evaluate the short-term outcomes of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol in perioperative robotic-assisted McKeown esophagectomy (RAME) among esophageal cancer patients. For this retrospective study, all patients who had undergone RAME with esophageal cancer using ERAS protocol and conventional management strategy at the surgery center of our hospital from February 2019 to March 2022 were performed for analysis. A total of 211 patients were included. Compared to the conventional group, the ERAS group has shorter median operative time [207 (147.5-267.5) vs. 244 (183-305), P<0.001], time to first flatus (P<0.001), time to out-of-bed activity (P=0.045), and time to liquid diet (P<0.001). In addition, the ERAS group has lower postoperative pain scores (3.62 ± 0.87 vs. 4.54 ± 0.91), shorter duration of analgesia pump [2 (1-3) vs. 3 (2.5-5.5)], shorter postoperative hospital stay [(9 (6-47) vs. 11 (6-79)], shorter postoperative hospital stay within neoadjuvant treated patients [8 (7-43) vs. 13 (8-67], shorter postoperative ICU stay [1 (0-7) vs. 2 (0-15)], and less reoperation rate (7.6% vs. 16.8%). Furthermore, the overall complication rate was significantly lower in the ERAS group (26.1%) than in the conventional group (50.4%). Notably, the ERAS group had lower thoracic fluid drainage volume than the conventional group on postoperative 2-7 days (P<0.05). The application of ERAS protocol in esophageal cancer patients treated with RAME showed advantages of quick postoperative recovery in contrast to the conventional management strategy.

Application of ERAS Protocol after VATS Surgery for Chronic Empyema in Immunocompromised Patients

Enhanced recovery after surgery protocols have shown improved clinical outcomes after lung resection surgery, but their application after empyema surgery is still limited. We retrospectively evaluated the outcomes of an adapted enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol for immunocompromised patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) surgery for chronic empyema between December 2013 and December 2021. The patients were divided into an ERAS group and a conventional treatment group. Peri-operative data were collected and compared between the two groups. The primary outcome was post-operative length of stay. Secondary outcomes were post-operative pain and post-operative complications (air leaks, atelectasis). A total of 86 patients, 45 in the ERAS group and 41 in the non-ERAS group, were considered. Chest tube duration (6.4 ± 2.3 vs. 13.6 ± 6.8 days) and post-operative length of stay (7.6 ± 1.6 vs. 16.9 ± 6.9 days) were significantly shorter in the ERAS group. The volume of chest drainage (103 ± 78 vs. 157 ± 89 mL/day) was significantly smaller in the ERAS group. There were no significant differences in operative time, blood loss, need for transfusion, tube reinsertion and median VAS score. The incidence of air leaks and atelectasis was significantly reduced in the ERAS group, as was the need for bronchoscopic aspiration. The application of an ERAS protocol after empyema VATS surgery for immunocompromised patients improved the surgical outcome, reducing the post-operative length of stay and rate of complications.

Where Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) Protocols Meet the Three Major Current Pandemics: COVID-19, Obesity and Malignancy.

Simple SummaryThe SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly modified the medical services provided for patients that receive care either for COVID-19 or for those that need care for benign diseases, including obesity, or for malignant ones, such as gynecological cancer. We sought to investigate the association among three major worldwide health issues (COVID-19, obesity, and malignancy) and how ERAS protocols can potentially provide optimal management of patients with obesity and malignancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to patients who required surgery for gynecologic oncology. We strongly believe that the application of ERAS protocols could play a key role during these unprecedented COVID-19 times.The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has transformed the provision of medical services for both patients that receive care for COVID-19 and for those that need care either for benign diseases, including obesity, or for malignancies, such as gynecological cancer. In this perspective article, we focus on the association among three major worldwide health issues and how ERAS protocols can potentially provide optimal management of patients with obesity and malignancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to patients who required surgery for gynecologic oncology. A thorough search of the literature on the respective topics was performed. Patients with malignancy and obesity presented with increased vulnerability to COVID-19 infection. However, the management of their disease should not be withheld. Protective measures should be established to reduce exposure of patients with oncological diseases to SARS-CoV-2 while simultaneously enabling their access to vaccination. Since ERAS protocols have proved to be efficient in many surgical fields, including gynecologic oncology, general surgery, and orthopedics, we strongly believe that ERAS protocols may play a significant role in this effort. The end of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be accurately predicted. Nevertheless, we have to ensure the appropriate and efficient management of certain groups of patients.

Enhanced recovery after surgery: importance of compliance audits

Background: The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is associated with improved clinical outcomes. However, implementation of ERAS in clinical practice is difficult because it requires a multidisciplinary approach and complex standardization. Moreover, maintenance and auditing of ERAS protocols is another challenge.Current Concepts: The ERAS society provides guidelines for surgery in almost all areas, and each guideline consists of approximately 20 items. Audits are performed to determine whether the items are being applied appropriately in a compliant manner as well as monitor and improve ERAS protocols. Numerous studies have reported that even with the application of the same ERAS protocol, postoperative short-term outcomes such as reductions of hospital stay and postoperative complications were better in the high-compliance group than in the low-compliance group. In addition, some recent studies have reported that application of ERAS protocols with high compliance can improve the long-term survival outcomes in cancer patients. In this regard, ERAS has been hypothesized to improve long-term oncological outcomes by minimizing surgical stress and reducing the postoperative inflammatory response and damage to immune function.Discussion and Conclusion: In addition to the development of appropriate protocols, auditing of compliance is also an important part of ERAS implementation. High compliance may lead to improved clinical outcomes.

The Application of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

To systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway in bariatric surgery. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, OVID, World Health Organization International Trial Register, and Cochrane Library identifying all eligible studies comparing ERAS protocols with standard care (SC) in bariatric surgery through May 2020. Relevant perioperative parameters were extracted from the resulting studies for meta-analysis. The primary outcome was the length of hospital stay, and secondary outcomes included operation time, postoperative nausea, and vomiting (PONV), postoperative complications, readmission, reoperation, and subsequent emergency room visits. Postoperative complications were categorized according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. Final analysis included five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and twelve observational studies which included 4964 patients in the ERAS group and 3218 patients in the SC group. The length of the hospital stay was significantly decreased (p < 0.01) after ERAS protocol management, as did the incidence of POVN (p < 0.01). No significant differences were observed between the ERAS group and SC group in terms of operation time (p = 0.37), postoperative complications (p = 0.18), readmission (p = 0.17), reoperation (p = 0.34), or emergency room visits (p = 0.65). The application of ERAS protocols in bariatric surgery is safe and feasible, effectively shortening the length of a hospital stay without compromising morbidity, and accelerating patient recovery.

Safety and Feasibility of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) Protocol in Patients Undergoing Stoma Closure

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocol is a multimodal approach which includes variety of pre-, intra-, and postoperative components to minimize surgical trauma, reduce complications, and decrease hospital length of stay, while expediting accelerated recovery following elective procedures. This study aimed to compare the postoperative outcome using the conventional management versus ERAS protocol in patients undergoing stoma (ileostomy and colostomy) closure. A prospective, comparative, longitudinal study was conducted using census technique in 30 patients admitted to surgery department, between January 2018 and March 2019 for ileostomy or colostomy closure. The postoperative length of hospital stay, readmission, morbidity, and mortality were compared between two groups of participants undergoing stoma closure either by ERAS (group A, n = 15) or by conventional care (group B, n = 15) protocol. Chi-square test and Student t test were used for analysis. The mean postoperative length of hospital stay was shorter in ERAS group compared with conventional care group (1.5 vs. 6.5 days, p < 0.001). However, no statistically significant differences were reported in terms of readmission and morbidity between the two groups. One major morbidity (anastomotic leak) in conventional group was reported. There was no 30-day mortality in either group. In comparison with the conventional care group, the application of ERAS protocol in the stoma closure resulted in decreased postoperative length of hospital stay. No differences were observed for readmission, re-exploration, and other postoperative morbidities between the two groups.

Enhanced recovery program versus conventional care after colorectal surgery in the geriatric population: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs for patients undergoing colorectal surgery has yielded promising results. However, there remains controversy regarding the application of ERAS protocols in an elderly population. The aim of this review is to compare the clinical outcomes between ERAS versus conventional peri-operative care (Non-ERAS) for colorectal surgery in patients aged ≥ 65years old. The PRISMA guidelines were adhered to. A comprehensive search was performed using Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library electronic databases and relevant articles were identified. Indications for the colorectal resections included both benign and malignant diseases, while emergency surgeries were excluded. Primary outcomes include post-operative morbidity, length of stay and re-admission rates. Data analysis was performed using Revman 5.3. A total of six studies were included, which involved a total of 1174 patients. ERAS was associated with a lower incidence of post-operative morbidity compared to Non-ERAS (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.25-0.59), p < 0.001). Similarly, ERAS was also associated with a significantly shorter hospital length of stay (MD - 2.49, 95% CI - 4.11 to 0.88, p = 0.002). Return of bowel function as measured by time to flatus was significantly faster in the ERAS group (MD - 20.01 95% CI - 36.23 to 3.79, p = 0.02), but post-operative ileus rates (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.50-1.47, p = 0.58) were comparable. Re-admission, re-operation and post-operative mortality rates were also similar between both groups. The application of ERAS protocols in an elderly population provides the advantages of lower post-operative morbidity and shorter hospital length of stay. Future studies should aim to evaluate factors that can improve ERAS compliance rates in this group of patients.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Versus Standard of Care Recovery for Emergency Cesarean Deliveries at Mbarara Hospital, Uganda.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) expedites return to patient baseline and functional status by reducing surgical trauma, stress, and organ dysfunction. Despite the potential benefits of enhanced recovery protocols, limited research has been done in low-resource settings, where 95% of cesarean deliveries are emergent and could possibly benefit from the application of ERAS protocols. In a prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled trial, mothers delivering by emergency cesarean delivery were randomly assigned to either an ERAS or a standard of care (SOC) recovery arm. Patients in the ERAS arm were treated with a modified ERAS protocol that included modified counseling and education, prophylactic antibiotics, antiemetics, normothermia, restrictive fluid administration, and multimodal analgesia. They also received early initiation of mobilization, feeding, and urethral catheter removal. The primary end point was length of hospital stay. The secondary end points were complications and readmission rates. Mean length of stay in the intervention and control arms were compared using t tests. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 13 (College Station, TX). A total of 160 patients were enrolled in the study, with 80 randomized to each arm. There was a statistically significant shorter length of stay for the ERAS arm compared to SOC, with a difference of -18.5 hours (P < .001, 95% confidence interval [CI], -23.67, -13.34). The incidence of complications of severe pain and headache was lower in the ERAS arm compared to SOC (P = .001 for both complications). However, pruritus was more common in the ERAS arm compared to SOC (P = .023). Use of an ERAS protocol for women undergoing emergency cesarean delivery in a low-income setting is feasible and reduces length of hospital stay without generally increasing the complication rate.

Application of enhanced recovery after surgery during the perioperative period in infants with Hirschsprung's disease-Amulti-center randomized clinical trial.

Various enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) guidelines have been established for several kinds of adult surgeries. While the guidelines for pediatric surgeries remained to be explored. The aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of an ERAS protocol for Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) infants undergoing pull-through procedures. An infant-specific ERAS protocol was developed and implemented at multiple centers from June 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. The study included 145 consecutive patients who underwent pull-through surgery for HSCR in three Children's hospitals. Patients were primarily divided into three groups based on the clinical classification and surgical methods. Group I included patients with the short segment type who received transanal endorectal pull-through (TEPT) surgery. Group II comprised of patients with the classical type and long segment type who received laparoscopic-assisted pull-through (LAPT) surgery. Group III involved patients with the long segment type (who had received ileostomy or colostomy during the neonatal period) and total colonic aganglionosis who received open pull-through (OPPT) surgery. Patients in the three groups mentioned above were randomly and equally assigned into the ERAS group and traditional (TRAD) group with random number table row randomization. The primary outcome was the length of postoperative hospital stay (LOS). Secondary outcomes of interest included white blood cell (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) on postoperative day 1 (POD 1), the blood glucose at the time of anesthesia and 24h after surgery, time to first defecation, time to regular diet, plasma markers of nutrition status on POD 5, plasma natrium on POD 5, the mean intraoperative fluid volume, time to discontinuation of intravenous infusion, incidence of postoperative complications, re-admission within 30 days, hospitalization costs, parental satisfaction, and growth from admission to 6 months after surgery. 73 and 75 patients were assigned to the TRAD and ERAS groups, respectively. There were no significant differences in demographic data. The LOS decreased from 9.5 days in the TRAD group to 7.9 days (P<0.001) in the ERAS group. WBC count on POD 1 showed no significant difference between the two groups. CRP on POD 1 in the ERAS group was significantly lower (P<0.001). In the ERAS group, the blood glucose was higher at anesthesia compared to the TRAD group (P<0.001). On the contrary, the blood glucose at 24h after surgery was significantly lower in the ERAS group (P<0.001). Intraoperative fluid volume was lower in the EARS group (P<0.001). ERAS could also reduce the time to first defecation (P<0.001), discontinuation of intravenous infusion (P<0.001) and regular diet (P<0.001). In the ERAS group, the concentrations of prealbumin and retinol conjugated protein on POD 5 were higher than those in the TRAD group (P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively). The plasma natrium had no difference in the two groups on POD 5 (P>0.05). The rate of complications (P>0.05) and 30-day re-admission (P>0.05) were not significantly different between the two groups. Hospitalization costs were also reduced (P<0.001). ERAS group has a higher parental satisfaction rate, although there was no statistical difference (96% vs 89%). There was no difference in growth between the ERAS and the TRAD groups from admission to 6 months after the surgery (weight for age z score: P>0.05, weight for length z score: P>0.05). We also found that the shortening of LOS by the application of ERAS protocol was more obvious in the OPPT group (-2.5±1.0) than that in the TEPT (-1.9±1.3) and LAPT (-1.3±0.4) groups. Implementation of the ERAS protocol in infants undergoing HSCR pull-through operations is safe and efficient. The ERAS protocol is worthy of recommendation. Clinical Trials.gov identifier: NCT02776176.

Meta-analysis on safety of application of enhanced recovery after surgery to laparoscopic bariatric surgery

To systematically review the safety of application of enhanced recovery after surgery(ERAS) to laparoscopic bariatric surgery. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or case-controlled trials concerning application of ERAS principles in bariatric surgery were collected by searching several national and international online databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, EMBASE and Wanfang databases. Data collection was completed in October 2016. The ERAS protocol covered three phases (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative), including preoperative counseling, reduced fasting, early ambulation, early oral feeding, etc. The endpoints included at least one of the following parameters: length of stay (LOS), operation time, readmission rate within 30 days, morbidity of postoperative complication (major/minor), and reoperation rate within 30 days. The quality of enrolled literatures was evaluated according to Cochrane Handbook and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RevMan 5.2 software was applied to perform meta analysis. The weighted mean difference (WMD) was used to combine the statistics for the measurement data, and the ratio and its 95% confidence interval were used to combine the statistics for the counting data. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on the quality of the enrolled literatures for the results of high heterogeneity. A total of 7 studies, including 1 randomized controlled trail and 6 case-control studies, with 3264 patients were enrolled. Among the 3264 patients, 2051 received ERAS management (ERAS group) and 1213 received traditional perioperative management (control group). Meta analysis showed that compared with control group, ERAS group had shorter operative time (WMD=-17.56, 95%CI: -29.50 to -5.62, P=0.00), shorter length of hospital stay (WMD=-1.11, 95%CI: -1.31 to -0.92,P=0.00). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the morbidity of postoperative major complication(OR=1.21, 95%CI:0.87 to 1.69, P=0.26) or minor complication (OR=1.25, 95%CI:0.99 to 1.58, P=0.06), re-admission rate within 30 days (OR=1.07, 95%CI: 0.81 to 1.43, P=0.63) and re-operation rate within 30 days(OR=1.33, 95%CI: 0.84 to 2.11, P=0.23). Application of ERAS protocols to bariatric surgery is safe and feasible, which can also reduce length of hospital stay and operative time, and accelerate recovery.

Multimodal Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Program is the Optimal Perioperative Care in Patients Undergoing Totally Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer: A Prospective, Randomized, Clinical Trial.

The application of ERAS protocol has widely gained acceptance after gastrointestinal surgery. Well-designed, randomized, control trials are needed to evaluate fully its safety and efficacy in the field of gastric cancer. This study aims to compare the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol and the conventional perioperative care program after totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG) in gastric cancer. Patients with gastric cancer indicated for TLDG were randomly assigned to either the ERAS group or the conventional group. The ERAS protocol included short fasting time, fluid restriction, early oral feeding, immediate mobilization, and use of epidural patient-controlled analgesia. Primary endpoint was recovery time, which was defined with the criteria of tolerable diet, safe ambulation, no requirement of additional analgesics, and afebrile state. Hospital stay, pain score, complications, and readmission rate were secondary endpoints. A total of 97 patients who underwent TLDG from October 2012 to August 2014 were enrolled (ERAS = 46, conventional = 51). The ERAS group had faster recovery time (111.6 ± 34.3 vs. 126.7 ± 30.7h; p = 0.026) and significantly less pain through postoperative days 1-4. Possible hospital stay also was faster in the ERAS group (5.0 ± 1.9 vs. 5.7 ± 1.6days, p = 0.038), but there was no difference in actual hospital stay. No difference was found in complication, and there was no mortality or readmission in both groups. ERAS is safe and enhances postoperative recovery after TLDG in gastric cancer. The trial was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01938313).

Enhanced recovery after surgery in patients with colorectal cancer in Slovenia 2012

Background : Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is a model of perioperative patient management where process optimisation helps to shorten patients’ recovery time. Application of ERAS protocol in colorectal cancer surgery is a demanding process, challenging our professional and organisational measures. Methods : A questionnaire regarding ERAS was sent to all thirteen heads of departments performing surgical treatment of colorectal cancer patients in Slovenia. The questionnaire was analyzed using Microsoft Excel Program. Results : There is a strong agreement among all the respondents that ERAS is a relevant clinical concept. Only seven clinical departments have developed a clinical pathway consistent with ERAS protocol, but principles of ERAS are followed at least partly or completely in twelve clinical departments. The most obvious is lack of activity before surgery, and particularly the educational interview with a dietitian and a physiotherapist. Less than half of the patients drink the glucose drink before surgery, and the same applies to the prophylaxis of nausea and vomiting. More than two thirds of patients are still subjected to mechanical bowel preparation before surgery. More than half of them have a central line and are admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) after surgery. More than 75 % of the patients do not sit up in bed or stand up on day 1 after surgery. More than half of them still have the nasogastric tube. Laparoscopy is used more frequently for colon and less for rectal surgery. Conclusions : Comparing this analysis with the one done in 2004, we can conclude that there is an important shortening of average planned hospital stay. Nevertheless, still the majority of patients are not managed according to the ERAS protocol. The implementation of ERAS concept in Slovenia is rather poor, contrary to what we would expect considering evidence-based positive effects, but nevertheless comparable to other’s experience.