Enhanced Recovery After Surgery: Redefining Post-Op Care

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) represents a change in postoperative care. Instead of the traditional methods of postoperative care like heavy use of drugs and prolonged hospital stays, ERAS integrates emerging practices to enhance patient recovery, like reducing complications and lowering healthcare costs by focusing on strategies that emphasize patient satisfaction. Not only does ERAS account for postoperative care, but preoperative methods have also helped improve recovery after surgery.ERAS has expanded across the medical field since the 1990s, mainly in surgeries, and has redefined the standard of postoperative care and continues to reshape healthcare systems. 

ERAS utilizes strategies that involve minimal invasiveness to the body in order to reduce stress and speed up the recovery stage. For preoperative care patients are no longer required to do the traditional method of prolonged fasting, rather, patients are required to do a fluid-based diet and minimize the use of opioids a few hours before operation, draining out the body and keeping it clean before operation. This way, it reduces the body's stress during the surgery and reduces the discomfort following it due to dehydration and hunger as the body is already accustomed to it. Not only that, but reducing the use of opioids is essential as excessive use can delay mobilization and increase dependency. Preoperative care is essential as it helps the patients overall wellbeing post surgery. 

For postoperative care, early mobilization and mouth feeding helps the body recover quicker and support faster physical recovery. Encouraging the patient to move around post surgery helps increase circulation in the body and preserve muscle strength, reducing the risk of immobilization complications and the need for physical therapy. Mouth feeding helps stimulate normal bowel activity and enhance the patients overall wellbeing. These minimal invasive techniques help reduce the need to use opioids and reduce the time of hospital stays. Decreasing the use of opioids helps reduce the dependency for the patient and complications like nausea, constipation, and addiction. ERAS improves patient outcomes and reduces the burden on the healthcare system. 

Overall, ERAS emphasizes redefining postoperative care by influencing recovery. It helps reduce hospital stays, the risk of complications, and improve patient satisfaction. With technological advancements, ERAS can expand its impact on hospitals around the world and promise healthier outcomes for patients.

Written by Sofia Bonilla at Incisionary

References:

Clark, T. (2025). Enhanced recovery after surgery: A paradigm shift in postoperative care and anesthesia. Anaesthesiology and Clinical Science Research, 9(1), 210. Allied Academies

Elias, K. M., Brindle, M. E., Nelson, G., et al. (2025). Enhanced Recovery After Surgery — Evidence and Practice. NEJM Evidence, 4(3). NEJM Evidence

Li, X., et al. (2023). The effects of enhanced recovery after surgery on wound infection, complications, and postoperative hospital stay in patients undergoing colorectal surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Wound Journal. Wiley Online Library

Petersen, J., Kloth, B., Konertz, J., et al. (2021). Economic impact of enhanced recovery after surgery protocol in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. BMC Health Services Research, 21(254). BioMed Central

Deiss, T., Chen, Ll., Sarin, A., et al. (2018). Patient-reported outcomes 6 months after enhanced recovery after colorectal surgery. Perioperative Medicine, 7, 19. perioperativemedicinejournal.biomedcentral.com