Abstract
Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocols are multimodal perioperative care
pathways designed to accelerate recovery by minimizing the physiologic stress of a
surgical procedure. Benefits of ERAS implementation in colorectal surgery include
reduced length of stay and decreased complications without an increase in readmissions.
Though there is evidence associating individual ERAS protocol elements (e.g., preoperative
carbohydrate loading, judicious perioperative fluid administration, and early initiation
of postoperative nutrition) with improved outcomes, ensuring high compliance with
all elements of an ERAS protocol will maximize benefits to the patient. After ERAS
implementation, data collection on protocol process measures can help providers target
education and interventions to improve protocol compliance and patient outcomes.
Keywords
Enhanced Recovery after Surgery - fast-track surgery - outcomes