ERAS Research

The team at ORI continue to pioneer the research in this area, with contributions to guidelines, textbooks, conference posters and implementation.

This year, Professor Robert Middleton and Professor Tom Wainwright co-authored the ERAS Society guidelines for hip and knee replacement surgery, which is currently one of the most-read articles in Acta Orthopaedica, with over 20,000 reads.

Professor Kehlet and Professor Tom Wainwright

Tom Wainwright also recently collaborated with Professor Henrik Kehlet from Denmark, who first initiated ERAS, also known as “fast-track surgery” to colorectal procedures in the 1990s. Their publication, entitled: “Fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty – have we reached the goal?”  discusses the remaining challenges with implementation of ERAS pathways to hip and knee replacement, in order to achieve the goal of pain and risk free surgery. The ORI team were also invited to contribute to the textbook, “ERAS – A Complete Guide to Optimizing Outcomes“, and published two chapters on early ambulation and physiotherapy after surgery, and ERAS in orthopaedics. 

ORI has also extended its research on ERAS to other surgical procedures, collaborating with international and local surgeons, looking at ERAS in spinal procedures, total ankle replacement, shoulder surgery and hip fracture. Externally, Tom Wainwright holds a position as orthopaedic lead at the ERAS Society and director and treasurer at ERAS UK. These organisations aim to improve patient recovery after surgery by promoting knowledge, understanding and research regarding optimal outcomes.

Please see below for a selection of publications that ORI have been involved in:

Consensus statement for perioperative care in lumbar spinal fusion: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Society recommendations

May 2021 – The Spine Journal

“This multidisciplinary consensus review summarises the literature and proposes recommendations for the perioperative care of patients undergoing lumbar fusion surgery with an ERAS programme.”

Older patients have the most to gain from orthopaedic enhanced recovery programmes

September 2014 –  Age and Ageing

 

A systematic review of patient reported outcomes and patient experience in enhanced recovery after orthopaedic surgery

March 2014 – The Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England

“The aim of this paper was to systematically review the literature on the use of patient generated information in orthopaedic ERAS across the whole perioperative pathway. Overall, ERAS did not compromise patient satisfaction and patients prefer a shorter length of hospital stay.”