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Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols can improve your surgery experience
At Premier Women’s Care of Southwest Florida, we are committed to our patients’ overall health and well-being, which is why we follow Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols.
ERAS protocols are designed to shorten length of stay by promoting early mobility and recovery. They optimize patient outcomes without increasing postoperative complications or readmissions, thereby improving your overall surgical experience. They also aim to use multimodal pain management to decrease exposure to dangerous pain medication like narcotics.
The idea behind ERAS protocols is to decrease surgical stress on your body and mind and to minimize the consequences of such stress. This begins by helping you understand and prepare for the procedure.
Preoperative education not only physically prepares you for surgery but also mentally prepares you for what to expect after the surgery. Our goal is to ensure you understand the procedure, feel more in control, and experience decreased postoperative discomfort and anxiety.
Among the ERAS protocols we follow in gynecologic surgery are:
- counseling and nutritional strategies prior to surgery, including avoidance of prolonged fasting
- a focus on regional as opposed to general anesthetic, as well as nonopioid pain relief
- postoperative recovery strategies, such as encouraging movement soon after surgery
Benefits of ERAS protocols include a shorter length of stay, less pain after surgery, faster return of normal bodily functions, decreased complication and readmission rates, and increased patient satisfaction.
These benefits apply to all different types of gynecologic surgeries, including open and minimally invasive approaches.
We encourage you to ask us questions about your gynecologic surgery and ERAS protocols at your preoperative appointment. We are not only skilled gynecologic surgeons, we are your partners in health care, and we want you to have the best surgical experience possible.