ERAS Alberta Symposium 2016

The ERAS Alberta Symposium was held in Calgary on January 15 & 16, 2016 to collaborate, exchange ideas and advance your knowledge in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) practices and researchers.

Presenters included Dr. Henrik Kehlet, Dr. Olle Ljungqvist, Dr. Gabriele Baldini, Dr. Duane Funk and local ERAS champions including Dr. Don Buie, Dr. John Heine (TEMS), Dr. Joseph Dort and Dr. Claire Temple-Oberle. Topics presented included findings on patient experience and elderly friendly approaches to the surgical environment.

Get more info here.

January 2016 update

Welcome to our January 2016 update on the ERAS Society Website! This month we want to share with all of you the following:

• The six-minute walk test as a measure of postoperative recovery after colorectal resection: further examination of its measurement properties. Nicolò Pecorelli, MD, Julio F Fiore Jr., PhD, Chelsia Gillis, RD, Rashami Awasthi, BSc Benjamin Mappin-Kasirer, Petru Niculiseanu, MD, Gerald M Fried, MD, Francesco Carli, MD, Liane S Feldman, MD. [Read it here]
• The use of artificial neural networks to predict delayed discharge and readmission in enhanced recovery following laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery.N. K. Francis, A. Luther, E. Salib, L. Allanby, D. Messenger, A. S. Allison, N. J. Smart, J. B. Ockrim. [Read it here]

Also, remember that you can follow us on the Twitter Official Channel to stay up to date with what’s happening in the ERAS field!

Mayo Clinic: Optimal Surgical Recovery Requires Teamwork

The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, Optimal Surgical Recovery Requires Teamwork will be held on the Point Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, Phoenix, Arizona, on February 12-13 of 2016.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a multidisciplinary, multi-modal approach to perioperative care. Evidence-based data is employed to optimize the patient’s post-op recovery promoting early recovery while post-op complications and costs are reduced. This proactive approach is comprised of data-driven, well thought-out interventions: “Post-op recovery starts in pre-op.”

• Starting with clearly defined preoperative preparation that involves the spectrum of health care team members, including the patient.
• Intraoperative approaches that have the entire scope of the patient’s care in mind including post-op recovery – multimodality pain control, pre-emption of nausea, and fluid management to minimize post-op ileus.
• Post-op order sets and team care that optimize patient recovery, convey the experience of accumulated knowledge and minimize complications and hospital stay.

We will provide evidence-based best practices from foremost international leaders. Discussion panels will allow attendees to pick the brains of teams who have successfully improved their patients’ outcomes, and then return to their institutions with a plan

For more information, please check the General Information & Program document, or visit their Website at this link.

1st National ERAS Society Argentina symposia

The first national ERAS Society Symposia was held November 14 in Buenos Aires at the Italian Hospital, the first ERAS Society Center of Excellence in Argentina.

The event was hosted by Professor Adrián Alvarez with speakers from his own department and with guest speakers RN ERAS specialist nurse Valerie Addor and professor Nicolas Demartines from CHUV Lausanne, Switzerland and professor Olle Ljungqvist Örebro, Sweden.

The hall was filled to the rim with approximately 100 delegates not only from key centers in Argentina but also with key opinion leaders from Chile, Uruguay and Peru. During this event the principles of ERAS were presented alongside the work of the ERAS Society. The interest was extremely high and several teams have already shown their interest in implementing ERAS.

This event was the starting point of the building of the ERAS Society network in Latin America. For more information please contact professor Alvarez:tatotatun@gmail.com.

The organizer acknowledge the unrestricted educational support from MSD.

1st ERAS Society Implementation Program in Latin America

The first ERAS Society Implementation program was started in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 15-16. The program was hosted by the Italian Hospital under the leadership of professor Adrián Álvarez and his team.

Two leading teams from other Latin American countries were in the program aiming to produce a lead team for each country for the implementation of ERAS. One team from Bogota, Colombia; Clinica Reina Sofia Org Sanitas and one from Guadalajara Mexico: Hospital Civil de Guadalajara were trained. The team consisted of surgeons and anesthesia leads, a dedicated ERAS nurse, and other specialists including representation from the senior management.

The ERAS Implementation program will be turn over period of about 8 months. The first session was run with the support of guest speakers, teachers and coaches RN ERAS specialist nurse Valerie Addor and professor Nicolas Demartines from CHUV Lausanne, Switzerland and professor Olle Ljungqvist Örebro, Sweden.

A new way to bounce back after surgery

Check the out the article entitled ”A new way to bounce back after surgery” and published on the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Bulletin in the July-August issue.

Access directly the article following this link: http://pubs.aarp.org/aarpbulletin/20150708

October 2015 update

On this first month of periodic updates on the ERAS Society Website, we want to share with all of you the following:

• A prize winning abstract from the 2015 Washington Congress: Adherence to the ERAS-protocol and 5-year survival after colorectal cancer surgery: A retrospective cohort study, by Henrik Oppelstrup, Olle Ljungqvist, Anders Thorell, Jonas Nygren, Ulf. O. Gustafsson. [Read it here]
• An outstanding video interview with Professor Henrik Kehlet recorded during the Guildford UK Improving Perioperative Outcomes Meeting. [Watch it here]
• A report of the Optimising outcomes in Gastrointestinal Surgery meeting held on 5-6 October, 2015 at MATTU Guildford. [Read it here]

Hope you all enjoy this fresh update! Also, remember that you can follow us on the Twitter Official Channel to stay updated with what’s happening in the ERAS field!

The SAGES/ERAS Society Manual of Enhanced Recovery Programs for Gastrointestinal Surgery

The SAGES/ERAS® Society Manual of Enhanced Recovery Programs for Gastrointestinal Surgery

Editors: Feldman, L.S., Delaney, C.P., Ljungqvist, O., Carli, F. (Eds.)

• Presents a comprehensive, up to date and practical approach to creating an ERAS program for GI surgery
• Written by experts in the field, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and physiotherapists
• Experts contribute real-world examples of their pathways for a variety of procedures, enabling the user to have a starting point for creating their own programs

This volume presents a comprehensive, up to date and practical approach to creating an ERAS program for GI surgery. The first sections review the evidence underlying individual elements of ERAS, including evidence from laparoscopic procedures when available or pointing to evidence gaps where more research is required. These are written by experts in the field, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and physiotherapists. The format is in the style of a narrative review, with narrative evidence review, and concluding with a table with “take home messages” and 3-5 key references for readers interested in more depth in each topic. Each chapter also addresses management of common complications and patient selection or exceptions. Subsequent chapters address practical concerns, including creation of a pathway team, project management and engaging administration. Experts contribute real-world examples of their pathways for a variety of procedures, including colorectal surgery, bariatric surgery, upper GI and hepatobiliary surgery, enabling the user to have a starting point for creating their own programs.

The SAGES Manual of Enhanced Recovery Programs for Gastrointestinal Surgery will be of great value to fully trained surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and administrators interested in initiating an ERAS program.

Check it out and order on both printed and electronic formats at Springer site: http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319203638

ERAS Society activities in the USA

The ERAS^® Society has growing activities in the USA. Following the 3^rd World Congress for the ERAS® Society in Washington DC in May of this year, we are now happy to announce the first ERAS^® Society Implementation program just started in collaboration with the CtSQC in the state of Connecticut. The first of a series of ERAS Implementation program involves four hospitals in Connecticut: St Francis Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, Lawrence & Memorial hospital and Middlesex hospital.

The implementation program will continue in a few phases where most of the hospitals involved in major surgery will be trained using the ERAS^® Society Implementation program.

For questions about the developments in the USA and interest in the ERAS^® Society Implementation program, please contact Kristina Wikander at the ERAS^® Society office: kristina.wikander@erassociety.org

For questions about the program in Connecticut please contact Cynthia Ross-Richardson: Cynthia.Ross-Richardson@hhchealth.org

The leaders for the CtSQC Collaborative – ERAS^® Society Implementation program, from left to right: Robert Lincer, MD, FACS, Local initiator of the ERAS Implementation program, Angie Balfour, RN University of Edinburgh, UK, ERAS Society Implementation coach for the program, Berson Augustin, McGill University Hospital, Montreal Canada, ERAS Implementation coach, Cynthia Ross-Richardson,RN, CT ERAS^® Coordinator, Scott Ellner, DO, FACS Program Chairman of the CtSQC, Kathleen Gravelle, RN – CtSQC ERAS Educator, Dr Olle Ljungqvist, Örebro University & Karolinska Insititutet, Sweden, ERAS^® MD trainer.

Phase 1 hospital teams involved in the ERAS^® Implementation Program in Connecticut, USA July 16, 2015.

The teams in full training during the first day of the ERAS Implementation program.