January 16, 2020
In
News
By
Tom Wainwright
Chairman: Professor Olle Ljungqvist
2019 – Thank you all for another great ERAS® Society year
It is with great happiness and pride that I can summarize that 2019 has been yet another year of great developments for ERAS® and the ERAS® Society.
This year the ERAS® Society Guidelines surpassed 4,000 citations in PubMed, and when these guidelines are put in use, several reports from different surgeries also show that both short- and long-term outcomes improve. The interest in ERAS® is mirrored by the number of ERAS® publications that are constantly growing; up from around 40 15 years ago to over 600 in the last year. ERAS® makes a big difference in outcomes and this is why ERAS® is a top subject in surgery and anesthesia.
The ERAS® Society is very active in a range of different areas, and I am proud to mention just a few highlights that have been accomplished by a large number of great leaders, experts and collaborators around the globe:
Guidelines: This year ERAS® Society Guidelines broke records in downloads in JAMA Surgery (highest impact journal in surgery) with the Guideline on Cardiac Surgery, and the update of the Colorectal Guideline was a big hit. We were also happy to have just released the Guideline on Hip and Knee replacement surgery on-line. This year the Society also published a guideline for ERAS® Society Guidelines outlining the history behind them and how they have developed into the methodology used currently.
Joining forces: During 2019 we established and strengthened bonds with major Anesthesia Societies – the Brazilian and the European Societies of Anaesthesiology. With these two prominent Societies we will be able to bring the true ERAS® to many more hospitals globally.
Implementation worldwide: Several countries in LATAM are joining the ERAS® Society and ERAS® LATAM, and in countries already with Centers of Excellence present, we are seeing them now training other hospitals in their countries. In Brazil a total of seven new hospitals are engaged in an ERAS® Implementation Program with the ambition to spread it across the country in a collaborative manner with the Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology. In the US, Mayo Clinic and Brigham and Women’s Hospital are now trained as Centers of Excellence and starting to help other units implement ERAS® across the USA. In Asia the first hospital in India is in training, as is the first in Dubai, with more countries joining early next year; Taiwan and Thailand are next in line to follow Singapore, Philippines and Vietnam. In Europe new units across the continent are being trained and in South Africa plans are laid out for spreading ERAS® inside and outside the country.
Congresses and meetings: This year’s main event was the 7th ERAS® World Congress successfully run with ERASUK in Liverpool, UK. An excellent program was held over 3 days with almost 600 delegates from over 70 countries. The 1st ERAS®ASIA congress was held in Singapore to meet the growing interest and demand for ERAS® in this part of the world. More than 200 delegates covering most countries in Asia made this returning event a huge success. In addition, numerous ERAS® sessions and presentations have been part of just about every major international and national congress around the world; many of these presentations are delivered and sessions organized by ERAS® Society members and collaborators. Lastly, in several countries national ERAS® Society Chapters have held congresses and events.
What is in line for 2020?
Next year’s main event will be the 8th ERAS World Congress, in collaboration with ERAS®USA in New Orleans, USA August 26-28. Several local or regional events will take place across the globe – keep an eye on the ERAS® Society website for updates. The ERAS® Society Textbook will be released by Springer, USA during the first quarter of 2020. The title is: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery – A Complete Guide to Optimizing Outcomes. The textbook has 65 chapters written by world leaders in ERAS®, covering all you need to know about ERAS®.
The ERAS® Society will launch a formal membership early next year. Membership will provide a series of benefits in addition to being part of an international multi-professional and multi-disciplinary medical society that is changing the course of surgery and anesthesia: – On line subscriptions to 4 leading journals: World Journal of Surgery, European Journal of Anaesthesiology, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, and Current Opinion in Critical Care – ERAS® Society textbook: Discounted price on the textbook (released during the 2st quarter of 2019) from Springer – all you need to know about ERAS® – 65 chapters, written by world leading authors. – Congress fee rebate: Reduced registration at the 8th World Congress in New Orleans. Details to be announced on the website shortly.
Guidelines: new and updated guidelines are under way for 2021 Let me thank all of the excellent collaborators and co-workers involved in the ERAS® Society who have made these tremendous successes possible and who have dedicated their precious time and knowledge to help move ERAS® forward with the goal to improve outcomes for patients. I wish all of you the very best for the holidays and the New Year. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the Chairman of this formidable group of people working for the ERAS®Society.
Sincerely,
Olle Ljungqvist
Chairman ERAS® Society Executive Committee
Save the date! The ERAS Society and the ERAS Society USA Chapter would like to invite you to attend the 8th ERAS Society World Congress to be held jointly with the 4th ERAS USA Congress, in New Orleans, 26-28 August 2020.
The first meeting in Chile to discuss ERAS in Thoracic Surgery will be held on the 5th September 2019 with an international faculty including Dr. Tim Batchelor, a Thoracic Surgeon. from the University Hospitals Bristol NHS in the UK and also lead author of the recently published ERAS guidelines.
