Anesthesia enhanced recovery pathway improves outcomes

Editor's Note

Development of an anesthesia enhanced recovery pathway (ERP) at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, resulted in a 45% reduction in length of stay in colorectal surgery patients. In addition, patient satisfaction scores improved from the 37^th percentile to the 97^th percentile.

The goals of the ERP were achieving superior analgesia, minimizing postoperative nausea and vomiting, facilitating patient recovery, and preserving perioperative immune function.

Background: Enhanced recovery pathways (ERPs) for surgical patients may reduce variation in care and improve perioperative outcomes. Mainstays of ERPs are standardized perioperative pathways. At The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore), an integrated ERP was proposed to further reduce the surgical site infection rate and the longer-than-expected hospital length of stay in colorectal surgery patients.