Introduction
The focus of this article is to outline the role of anesthesia in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs.
The introduction sets up what the rest of the post will be about.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) defines anesthesia as the “use of drugs to alter consciousness and relieve pain during surgery or other medical procedures.”
Anesthesia is a medical procedure that uses drugs to relieve pain during surgery, as well as to put patients into a state of unconsciousness.
Anesthesiologists are the doctors who administer anesthesia to patients before and during surgery.
Greater adoption of ERAS programs has led to increased demand for anesthesia in healthcare delivery.
The role of anesthesia in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs has increased the demand for anesthesia in healthcare delivery. Say’s Dr Brian Blick, ERAS is a strategy that aims to reduce the time it takes for patients to recover after surgery by optimizing their outcomes, reducing costs, and increasing physician satisfaction. Anesthesia providers play an important role in this process by optimizing perioperative pain management strategies.
Anesthesia can play a key role in ERAS, including helping improve patient outcomes, reducing costs, and increasing physician satisfaction.
Anesthesia can play a key role in ERAS, including helping improve patient outcomes, reducing costs, and increasing physician satisfaction.
When it comes to postoperative pain management, anesthesiologists have been at the forefront of research and innovation since they were first introduced to the practice more than 100 years ago. Today’s leading practices include multimodal analgesia (MMAS) protocols that combine non-opioid medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen with local anesthetic nerve blockades; epidural blocks; intravenous fentanyl boluses; epidural continuous infusions (EICIs); neuraxial anesthesia with ropivacaine or other local anesthetics via peripheral nerve blockade techniques such as femoral nerve catheters; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices; spinal cord stimulation systems for treating chronic pain conditions that are resistant to conventional medical treatment
Anesthesia should be considered as part of any enhanced recovery after surgery program.
Anesthesia should be considered as part of any enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program. Anesthesia can play a key role in ERAS, including helping improve patient outcomes, reducing costs, and increasing physician satisfaction.
- Improved patient outcomes: The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has identified that many patients undergoing major elective surgery receive general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. In these situations the choice and administration of anesthetic agents will affect the outcome on both short-term (acute postoperative period) and long-term basis (recurrence rate).
- Reduced length of stay: One study showed that postoperative complications were reduced by 50% when patients received perioperative sedative therapy compared to those who did not receive medication prior to discharge from hospitalization following surgery.[1]
Conclusion
Anesthesia is a critical component of ERAS, and it can play a key role in improving patient outcomes, reducing costs and increasing physician satisfaction. As more hospitals adopt ERAS programs, there will be an increased demand for anesthesia services. Anesthesiologists should consider adding ERAS to their practice if they haven’t already done so–or at least consider how they might incorporate some of its principles into existing protocols.”
