ERAS Lazio Network Clinical Registry

Background. The acronym ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) refers to a patient-centered, evidence-based multi-disciplinary protocol designed to implement perioperative operation, reduce surgical trauma, and facilitate recovery of physiological functions aiming to an early hospital discharge.

Usually ERAS protocols give a continuum of care starting at home (pre-hospital/pre-admission phase) to continue in followed by the pre-/ intra-/ and post-operative phases.

ERAS includes a wide range of disciplines and specialists, which focus on the needs of the patient in order to improve support by facilitating his return home.

The first author to introduce the fast-track term in rectal surgery was Prof. Henrik Kehlet in the mid-1990s, proposing a multi-modal rehabilitation program aimed to reduce post-surgical stress response, morbidity, mortality and postoperative hospitalization. Since then, a number of studies were conducted leading to the first ERAS protocol; since then, these protocols were reviewed on a regular basis, the last time in 2017 and included in the guidelines by the ERAS society (http://www.erassociety.org).

Currently, it is widely demonstrated that, comparing to a traditional approach, ERAS is associated with a significant reduction in morbidity, days of hospitalization, mortality, implementing early postoperative recovery with a consequent reduction of the costs, without compromising patient safety.