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Enhanced Recovery After surgery (ERAS)
Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a new surgery protocol that aims to streamline the various processes a patient undergoes before, during and after surgery. The principal aim of this protocol is to shorten the length of hospital stay for patients and help in their early recovery and mobility while improving their overall experiences.
What makes ERAS a game changer in recovery after surgery is the fact that it cuts down the time spent in recovery post-surgery by a significant amount. Aftercare post-surgery is crucial to ensure that your body heals properly and can also be a very laborious and painful process. And since several cancer treatments involve surgery, ERAS can be of real help to ensure a patient's complete recovery in as short a time as possible.
ERAS involves a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists, pharmacists and dieticians. ERAS is very effective to reduce postoperative complications.
- Pre Admission Phase - The patient is initially assessed by their healthcare team, who evaluate their medical condition, set individual goals and formulate a specialised diet. Patients are also advised to do their own research via reading research papers or watching informational videos before starting the procedure.
- Pre Operative Phase - Patients are allowed to consume food two hours before the surgery as opposed to stopping one day before the procedure as with regular surgeries.
- Intra Operative Phase - Medication and anaesthesia are customised as per the patient’s needs while taking effective care to minimise the amount of medication used so as to achieve pain control post-surgery.
- Post Operative Phase - This includes encouraging the patient to resume everyday activities much earlier than regular surgeries, such as walking early, start eating earlier and controlling the use of pain medication.
- Post Discharge Phase - This includes monitoring the patient’s health and noting any changes to seek assistance, keeping up with the medication schedule and slowly returning to their routine.
ERAS has been widely facilitated in cardiac surgery, head and neck surgery, thoracic surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, gynaecologic surgery and general surgery.
Veritas Cancer Care works tirelessly in preparing patients for major surgeries to ensure their recovery is smooth and without complications. The oncological team at Veritas Cancer Care is headed by Dr Venkat P, a highly-trained surgical oncologist and robotic surgeon. With over 22 years of experience, he has managed around 25,000 oncological cases and performed over 20,000 surgeries. He is one of the few surgeons who strictly follows the international ERAS guidelines to ensure the early recovery of his patients with lesser complications.
Veritas Cancer Care is also one of the few cancer teams in Chennai to use Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for cancer treatment in Chennai. Headed by Dr Venkat P, our team of surgical oncologists guarantee you will receive prompt care and treatment.
