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The Evolution of Surgical Enhanced Recovery Pathways: a Review

  • Other Pain (A Kaye and N Vadivelu, Section Editors)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Enhanced recovery pathways are a well-defined perioperative health care program utilizing evidence-based interventions in a protocol-like manner designed to standardize techniques including drug selection and dosing to improve results and to reduce overall costs including facilitating earlier discharge from hospitals after surgery.

Recent Findings

A PubMed and World Wide Web search was performed with the following key words: enhanced recovery, surgical enhanced recovery, recovery pathways, and enhanced recovery pathways surgery.

Summary

This introduction to enhanced recovery pathways reflects its 20-year history, worldwide appeal, and ever growing presence in our practices. Many clinical teams have not, as of yet, incorporated enhanced recovery pathway principles to their practices and therefore, continued evolution should include increasing outreach and formalized guidelines in the future.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major Importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University School of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA

    Amir Elhassan, Ahmed Ahmed, Hamdy Awad & Michelle Humeidan

  2. Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology, LSU Health Science Center, 1542 Tulane Avenue, Suite 659, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Viet Nguyen & Alan David Kaye

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, USA

    Elyse M. Cornett

  4. Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Richard D. Urman

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  1. Amir Elhassan
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  2. Ahmed Ahmed
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  4. Michelle Humeidan
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Correspondence to Alan David Kaye.

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Amir Elhassan, Ahmed Ahmed, Hamdy Awad, Michelle Humeidan, Viet Nguyen, Elyse M. Cornett, Richard D. Urman, and Alan David Kaye declare no conflict of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Other Pain

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Elhassan, A., Ahmed, A., Awad, H. et al. The Evolution of Surgical Enhanced Recovery Pathways: a Review. Curr Pain Headache Rep 22, 74 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-018-0727-z

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