Surgery is so incredible. The things we can do today were dreams a generation ago. As a nurse, I love being part of it. I love seeing lives and function restored.
Of course, surgery carries risks – some foreseeable, others just bad luck. For good outcomes you need a good surgeon, obviously, but also so much more. As we struggle with increasing need and limited resources, the pressure to optimize and help people recover as fully as possible, as quickly as possible, only grows. New technologies clearly play a role, but so do foundational principles.
Here, I take a look at these principles through the lens of Enhanced Recover After Surgery (or ERAS), a set of guidelines used around the world, across many specialties. I am joined by researcher Emily Pearsall, general surgeon Anand Govindarajan, and anesthesiologist Stuart McCluskey. Recorded separately, their narratives weave together and paint a picture of Enhanced Recovery: what it is, what it is not, and what can be learned from years of trying to bring its recommendations to life in the complex reality of caring for patients.
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Additional Resources:
ERAS Society – https://erassociety.org/
ERAS for GI Surgery: Pathophysiological Considerations – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aas.12601
University of Toronto Best Practice in Surgery: http://bestpracticeinsurgery.ca/
