The first private team of surgeons accredited by the ERAS Society

In recent years, perioperative care has improved considerably, contributing—along with advances in anesthetic and surgical techniques, particularly the development of laparoscopic surgery—to a better and faster recovery for patients undergoing surgery.

With the advent of so-called evidence-based medicine, a number of myths and traditions regarding the pre-, intra-, and postoperative management of patients have been dispelled, which has also contributed to the accelerated recovery of surgical patients, leading to the development of various treatment protocols by scientific societies.

A better and faster postoperative recovery

In this context, an international professional organization called the ERAS Society was founded in Sweden in 2010. ERAS stands for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. The society’s objective was to develop a program to implement a perioperative care protocol to improve the patient’s recovery process following major surgery, applicable to colorectal surgery, urology, bariatric surgery, orthopedics, and gynecology.

The program consists of a one-year period of training, implementation, and subsequent auditing of results, and requires a multidisciplinary team that includes surgeons, anesthesiologists, physical therapists, nurses, stoma therapists, and nutritionists.

From November 2015 to November 2016, nine hospitals participated in the first ERAS implementation program for colorectal surgery in Spain, with the Teknon Medical Center (QuirónSalud Group), in collaboration with Quirúrgica (surgery department) and Anestalia (anesthesia department), being the only private center-team to participate.

After completing the implementation period, only two centers achieved ERAS Society accreditation at that time: the Marqués de Valdecillas Hospital in Santander and the Teknon Medical Center – Quirúrgica.

The surgical team accredited by the ERAS Society

The Surgical Department offers this protocol to all patients undergoing surgery for colorectal conditions. As has been demonstrated, it helps reduce pre- and post-surgical stress, providing better pain management and fewer postoperative complications, which enables a faster and more successful patient recovery.

Through the implementation and adherence to the ERAS protocol, we have achieved a 3-day reduction in hospital stay, as well as a significant decrease in postoperative complications.

The result: a faster recovery, a shorter and higher-quality hospital stay, and improved patient well-being.

The following RECOMMENDATIONS are general in nature. Your surgeon or nurse will provide you with more specific instructions on what to do before, during, and after your hospital stay.