Improving Lower Extremity Bypass Patient Outcomes: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Implementation Project

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Surgical Outcomes
• Clinical Pathways

Background:

• Care variation negatively impacts patient outcomes.
• Clinical practice guidelines aim to standardize care and improve results.
• Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a perioperative pathway designed to optimize surgical patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address high length of stay (LOS), readmissions, and surgical site infections in lower extremity bypass (LEB) patients.
• To implement an ERAS pathway tailored for the LEB population.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a systematic project management approach with an interdisciplinary team.
• Developed and integrated clinical practice guidelines for the LEB care continuum.
• Revised and created patient education materials for standardized communication from consultation to follow-up.

Main Results:

• Preliminary data indicate a reduction in mean LOS from 6.81 (n=53) to 4.57 (n=21) days.
• These early findings suggest a positive impact of the ERAS pathway implementation.

Conclusions:

• The introduction of an ERAS pathway in the LEB population shows potential for improved surgical outcomes.
• Further data collection and analysis are warranted to confirm these preliminary findings.