Though most protocols exist to protect patients and improve outcomes, not many can compete with the positive impact Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs, or “fast-track surgery,” have had on the well-being of surgical patients. Launched in the mid-1990s by Henrik Kehlet, MD, PhD, Professor of Perioperative Management and Professor of Surgery at Copenhagen University, these guidelines have become ubiquitous in world-class patient care.

Though the journey to universal adoption may not have come easily at first, Dr. Kehlet says his inspiration for the protocols was one simple question: Why is the patient still in the hospital today? The ASA Monitor spoke with the ERAS pioneer to discuss the impact and future of the revolutionary protocols.

Though Dr. Kehlet is now one of the most internationally well-known surgeons among anesthesiologists due to his contributions toward the mechanics of surgical pathophysiology, at one time, he was just a young physician questioning...

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