Newswise — Two large surgical societies, The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, jointly published guidelines in the August issue of Diseases of the Colon and Rectum on enhanced recovery after colon and rectal surgery.  These techniques have been used in Europe for many years and more recently also in the United States. Enhanced recovery after surgery is the principle whereby the patient is actually “in the driver’s seat,” so to speak, and participates and improves the quality of their own care.  This “pathway” involves everyone from doctors and nurses to physical therapists and dieticians. It also involves everything from the time before surgery (preoperative) through surgery and the aftercare. There are now numerous studies showing that this type of care results in a more rapid recovery, shorter hospital stay, fewer side effects due to drugs, and fewer postoperative complications for the patient. Getting two societies together to jointly review the enormous body of work already done in this field and issue guidelines has been a tremendous undertaking. These guidelines will be a tremendous resource for both physicians and patients. The principle behind this type of care is avoidance of large amounts of narcotic pain medication after surgery, which paralyzes the bowel and delays recovery, minimizing the use of intravenous fluids in the postoperative period, early and frequent activity out of bed for the patient starting very soon after surgery, and early resumption of an oral diet.  We are excited to share this combined effort with you in an opportunity to help accomplish what we all desire—better outcomes for our patients.

Authors: JOSEPH C. CARMICHAEL, DEBORAH S. KELLER, GABRIELE BALDINI, LILIANA BORDEIANOU, ERIC WEISS, LAWRENCE LEE, MARYLISE  BOUTROS, JAMES MCCLANE, LIANE S. FELDMAN, SCOTT R. STEELE

Title of Article: Clinical Practice Guidelines for Enhanced Recovery After Colon and Rectal Surgery From the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons 

A prepublication copy is available on request.  Please email Margaret Abby, Managing Editor, Diseases of the Colon and Rectum at [email protected]

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CITATIONS

Diseases of the Colon and Rectum 2017;60(8):761-784.