New approach to surgical care aims to improve recovery and reduce length of hospital stay

A new approach to major surgery is being introduced in two London hospital trusts, with the potential to reduce significantly the length of time patients stay in hospital. The approach combines better preoperative assessment, intraoperative monitoring, and postoperative recovery. The enhanced surgical treatment and recovery programme (ESTREP) combines preoperative and postoperative aspects of other programmes that have previously been shown to improve the outcomes of surgery with an additional element of specialist anaesthetic monitoring and care during operations. It has been developed by colorectal surgeons at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which will extend it to all colorectal surgery from next week, and from Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, which has been using the programme for all patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery over the past six months. The results are being audited and the surgeons hope to publish their findings later in the year. Andrew Williams, a consultant colorectal and general surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas' and one of …