ERAS programme in a Portuguese tertiary hospital: An audit of the first six months of implementation in elective colorectal surgery.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a multimodal strategy designed to optimize postoperative recovery and reduce morbidity, length of hospital stay, and care costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate compliance and clinical outcomes 6 months of implementation of the program in scheduled colorectal surgery in a tertiary hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from 209 patients who underwent elective colorectal surgery were analysed. The first 102 patients (pre-ERAS group) who underwent surgery between January and May 2018, before the implementation of the program, were compared with the 107 patients treated between May and October 2019, after ERAS implementation. The main outcomes were patient education and counselling, use of intravenous fluids, early mobilization, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, return of bowel function, length of stay, complications, mortality, and overall compliance. RESULTS: The ERAS program was associated with a significant increase in patient education and counselling (p<0.001) and with a significant reduction in intra- and postoperative IV fluid administration (p=0.007 and p<0.001, respectively) and postoperative nausea or vomiting (17.6% vs 5.0%, p=0.007). Time to recovery of activities of daily living (5.29 vs 2.85 days; p<0.001), time to solid oral intake (6.21 vs 4.35 days; p<0.001), time to first flatus (2.41 vs 1.51 days; p<0.001) and defecation (3.35 vs 1.66 days; p<0.001) decreased with ERAS. There were no statistically significant differences in length of stay, complications, and mortality. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the ERAS program improved perioperative outcomes and postoperative recovery in patients undergoing colorectal surgery in our hospital.

Fractura intravascular de un catéter arterial: una complicación poco común pero real / Intravascular fracture of an arterial catheter: an uncommon nevertheless real complication

Arterial catheterization is a common procedure performed for invasive blood pressure as well as cardiac output monitoring and blood sampling for analysis. The fracture or embolization of arterial catheters are rare but serious complications, and may cause vascular thrombosis or occlusion. Ultrasound can be used to identify the intravascular fragment, however their removal may be complex. The authors report a case of intra-arterial catheter fracture in the radial artery, confirmed by ultrasound and surgically removed. This case may alert to be aware of this complication when using this invasive method, helping to prevent future complications for patients.

La introducción de un catéter arterial es un procedimiento realizado regularmente para evaluar la presión arterial invasiva, el gasto cardíaco y tomar muestras de sangre para su análisis. La fractura y la embolización de los catéteres arteriales son complicaciones poco frecuentes pero graves y pueden causar trombosis u oclusión de la arteria. La ecografía puede usarse para identificar el fragmento intravascular, pero la extracción puede ser compleja. Presentamos un caso de fractura intravascular del catéter de la arteria radial confirmada por ecografía y extirpada quirúrgicamente. Este caso señala la necesidad de prestar atención a esta complicación cuando se usa el monitoreo invasivo, para evitar complicaciones futuras para los enfermos.