Olle Ljungqvist

Guidelines for Perioperative Care in Elective Colonic Surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS ® ) Society Recommendations

BackgroundThis review aims to present a consensus for optimal perioperative care in colonic surgery and to provide graded recommendations for items for an evidenced-based enhanced perioperative protocol.MethodsStudies were selected with particular attention paid to meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials and large prospective cohorts. For each item of the perioperative treatment pathway, available English-language literature was examined, reviewed and graded. A consensus recommendation was reached after critical appraisal of the literature by the group.ResultsFor most of the protocol items, recommendations are based on good-quality trials or meta-analyses of good-quality trials (quality of evidence and recommendations according to the GRADE system).ConclusionsBased on the evidence available for each item of the multimodal perioperative care pathway, the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society, International Association for Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition (IASMEN) and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) present a comprehensive evidence-based consensus review of perioperative care for colonic surgery.

Consensus Review of Optimal Perioperative Care in Colorectal Surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Group Recommendations

OBJECTIVES To describe a consensus review of optimal perioperative care in colorectal surgery and to provide consensus recommendations for each item of an evidence-based protocol for optimal perioperative care. DATA SOURCES For every item of the perioperative treatment pathway, available English-language literature has been examined. STUDY SELECTION Particular attention was paid to meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and systematic reviews. DATA EXTRACTION A consensus recommendation for each protocol item was reached after critical appraisal of the literature by the group. DATA SYNTHESIS For most protocol items, recommendations are based on good-quality trials or meta-analyses of such trials. CONCLUSIONS The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Group presents a comprehensive evidence-based consensus review of perioperative care for colorectal surgery. It is based on the evidence available for each element of the multimodal perioperative care pathway.

The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway for patients undergoing major elective open colorectal surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The aim of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathway is to attenuate the stress response to surgery and enable rapid recovery. The objective of this meta-analysis was to study the differences in outcomes in patients undergoing major elective open colorectal surgery within an ERAS pathway and those treated with conventional perioperative care. METHODS Medline, Embase and Cochrane database searches were performed for relevant studies published between January 1966 and November 2009. All randomized controlled trials comparing ERAS with conventional perioperative care were selected. The outcome measures studied were length of hospital stay, complication rates, readmission rates and mortality. RESULTS Six randomized controlled trials with 452 patients were included. The number of individual ERAS elements used ranged from 4 to 12, with a mean of 9. The length of hospital stay [weighted mean difference (95% confidence interval): -2.55 (-3.24, -1.85)] and complication rates [relative risk (95% confidence interval): 0.53 (0.44, 0.64)] were significantly reduced in the enhanced recovery group. There was no statistically significant difference in readmission and mortality rates. CONCLUSION ERAS pathways appear to reduce the length of stay and complication rates after major elective open colorectal surgery without compromising patient safety.

Insulin resistance: a marker of surgical stress.

Elective surgery causes a marked, transient reduction in insulin sensitivity. The degree of the reduction is related to the magnitude of the operation. The type and duration of surgery performed, perioperative blood loss, and also the degree of postoperative insulin resistance have significant influences on the length of hospital stay. A novel approach to minimize insulin resistance after surgery is being presented and suggests that simply pretreating the elective surgical patient with sufficient amounts of carbohydrates instead of fasting can significantly reduce postoperative insulin resistance. It is not clear which mediators are the most important for the development of insulin resistance after surgery. Nevertheless, marked insulin resistance can develop after elective surgery without concomitant elevations in cortisol, catecholamines or glucagon. The main sites for insulin resistance seem to be extrahepatic tissues, probably skeletal muscle, where preliminary data suggest that the glucose transporting system is involved.

ESPEN Guidelines on Parenteral Nutrition: Surgery

In modern surgical practice it is advisable to manage patients within an enhanced recovery protocol and thereby have them eating normal food within 1-3 days. Consequently, there is little room for routine perioperative artificial nutrition. Only a minority of patients may benefit from such therapy. These are predominantly patients who are at risk of developing complications after surgery. The main goals of perioperative nutritional support are to minimize negative protein balance by avoiding starvation, with the purpose of maintaining muscle, immune, and cognitive function and to enhance postoperative recovery. Several studies have demonstrated that 7-10 days of preoperative parenteral nutrition improves postoperative outcome in patients with severe undernutrition who cannot be adequately orally or enterally fed. Conversely, its use in well-nourished or mildly undernourished patients is associated with either no benefit or with increased morbidity. Postoperative parenteral nutrition is recommended in patients who cannot meet their caloric requirements within 7-10 days orally or enterally. In patients who require postoperative artificial nutrition, enteral feeding or a combination of enteral and supplementary parenteral feeding is the first choice. The main consideration when administering fat and carbohydrates in parenteral nutrition is not to overfeed the patient. The commonly used formula of 25 kcal/kg ideal body weight furnishes an approximate estimate of daily energy expenditure and requirements. Under conditions of severe stress requirements may approach 30 kcal/kg ideal body weights. In those patients who are unable to be fed via the enteral route after surgery, and in whom total or near total parenteral nutrition is required, a full range of vitamins and trace elements should be supplemented on a daily basis.

A protocol is not enough to implement an enhanced recovery programme for colorectal resection

Single‐centre studies have suggested that enhanced recovery can be achieved with multimodal perioperative care protocols. This international observational study evaluated the implementation of an enhanced recovery programme in five European centres and examined the determinants affecting recovery and length of hospital stay.

Adherence to the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol and Outcomes After Colorectal Cancer Surgery

OBJECTIVES To study the impact of different adherence levels to the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol and the effect of various ERAS elements on outcomes following major surgery. DESIGN Single-center prospective cohort study before and after reinforcement of an ERAS protocol. Comparisons were made both between and across periods using multivariate logistic regression. All clinical data (114 variables) were prospectively recorded. SETTING Ersta Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. PATIENTS Nine hundred fifty-three consecutive patients with colorectal cancer: 464 patients treated in 2002 to 2004 and 489 in 2005 to 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The association between improved adherence to the ERAS protocol and the incidence of postoperative symptoms, complications, and length of stay following major colorectal cancer surgery was analyzed. RESULTS Following an overall increase in preoperative and perioperative adherence to the ERAS protocol from 43.3% in 2002 to 2004 to 70.6% in 2005 to 2007, both postoperative complications (odds ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.98) and symptoms (odds ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-0.70) declined significantly. Restriction of intravenous fluid and use of a preoperative carbohydrate drink were major independent predictors. Across periods, the proportion of adverse postoperative outcomes (30-day morbidity, symptoms, and readmissions) was significantly reduced with increasing adherence to the ERAS protocol (>70%, >80%, and >90%) compared with low ERAS adherence (<50%). CONCLUSION Improved adherence to the standardized multimodal ERAS protocol is significantly associated with improved clinical outcomes following major colorectal cancer surgery, indicating a dose-response relationship.

A Carbohydrate-Rich Drink Reduces Preoperative Discomfort in Elective Surgery Patients

We studied the effects of different preoperative oral fluid protocols on preoperative discomfort, residual gastric fluid volumes, and gastric acidity. Two-hundred-fifty-two elective abdominal surgery patients (ASA physical status I–II) were randomized to preparation with a 12.5% carbohydrate drink (CHO), placebo (flavored water), or overnight fasting. The CHO and Placebo groups were double-blinded and were given 800 mL to drink on the evening before and 400 mL on the morning of surgery. Visual analog scales were used to score 11 different discomfort variables. CHO did not increase gastric fluid volumes or affect acidity, and there were no adverse events. The visual analog scale scores in a control situation were not different between groups. During the waiting period before surgery, the CHO-treated group was less hungry and less anxious than both the other groups (P ≤ 0.05). CHO reduced thirst as effectively as placebo (P < 0.0001 versus Fasted). Trend analysis showed consistently decreasing thirst, hunger, anxiety, malaise, and unfitness in the CHO group (P < 0.05). The Placebo group experienced decreasing unfitness and malaise, whereas nausea, tiredness, and inability to concentrate increased (P < 0.05). In the Fasted group, hunger, thirst, tiredness, weakness, and inability to concentrate increased (P < 0.05). In conclusion, CHO significantly reduces preoperative discomfort without adversely affecting gastric contents.

Guidelines for perioperative care in elective colonic surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Society recommendations☆

BACKGROUND This review aims to present a consensus for optimal perioperative care in colonic surgery and to provide graded recommendations for items for an evidenced-based enhanced perioperative protocol. METHODS Studies were selected with particular attention paid to meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials and large prospective cohorts. For each item of the perioperative treatment pathway, available English-language literature was examined, reviewed and graded. A consensus recommendation was reached after critical appraisal of the literature by the group. RESULTS For most of the protocol items, recommendations are based on good-quality trials or meta-analyses of good-quality trials (quality of evidence and recommendations according to the GRADE system). CONCLUSIONS Based on the evidence available for each item of the multimodal perioperative-care pathway, the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society, International Association for Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition (IASMEN) and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) present a comprehensive evidence-based consensus review of perioperative care for colonic surgery.

Guidelines for Perioperative Care in Elective Rectal/Pelvic Surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Society Recommendations

BackgroundThis review aims to present a consensus for optimal perioperative care in rectal/pelvic surgery, and to provide graded recommendations for items for an evidenced-based enhanced recovery protocol.MethodsStudies were selected with particular attention paid to meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials and large prospective cohorts. For each item of the perioperative treatment pathway, available English-language literature was examined, reviewed and graded. A consensus recommendation was reached after critical appraisal of the literature by the group.ResultsFor most of the protocol items, recommendations are based on good-quality trials or meta-analyses of good-quality trials (evidence grade: high or moderate).ConclusionsBased on the evidence available for each item of the multimodal perioperative care pathway, the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society, European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) and International Association for Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition (IASMEN) present a comprehensive evidence-based consensus review of perioperative care for rectal surgery.