Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (or ERAS) is a new trend that many hospitals are embracing to help decrease pain after surgery and get patients back on their feet more quickly. The program was initially designed for patients having big surgeries where they needed to stay for several days in the hospital. We have modified the Enhanced Recovery program for our patients having outpatient cosmetic or reconstructive procedures at the Surgery Center of Annapolis.
The goals of our Enhanced Recovery program are:
To decrease post-operative pain
Less pain means patients are back to normal life sooner. With less pain, it is easier to take short walks and get around the house, even the day after surgery! While we still recommend taking it easy, getting up and walking around helps prevent blood clots and helps you feel more like yourself after surgery.
To decrease the need for opioid pain killers
Many patients don’t want to take many pain killers because the side effects – like nausea, constipation, and migraines – can be worse than having pain! Other patients worry about pain killers being addictive, which has become a crisis in the US.
To decrease nausea and other side effects of general anesthesia
Some patients fear surgery because they have had a bad experience getting nauseous after surgery or feeling “out of it” for more than a day after getting anesthesia. Our surgeons are in constant communication with our Board-Certified anesthesiologists to help prevent the negative side effects of anesthesia. Strategies include limiting the length of surgery, using numbing medicine to help reduce the need for higher anesthesia doses, hydrating patients, and giving anti-nausea medications.
Our entire surgical team works together to customize your care so that
each patient can have an Enhanced Recovery experience!
