Enhanced Recovery After Surgery — faster, safer healing built on evidence
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is an international, evidence-based perioperative care protocol that bundles 20+ care elements before, during, and after surgery to reduce stress on your body, cut complications by up to half, and shorten hospital stay by 30 to 50 percent. Dr. Khaled Ghalwash and Dr. Mohamed Ghalwash apply the relevant ERAS Society guideline to every elective procedure in their practice in Alexandria.
The protocol is not one trick. It is a coordinated change in dozens of small things that together transform recovery: when you fast, what you drink before surgery, which painkillers we use, how soon you walk after, how soon you eat, when the catheter comes out, when you go home. Each element has its own evidence trail, mostly randomised trials. The whole protocol works because the elements compound.
The four phases of ERAS
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1
Before your operation
Stop smoking 6 weeks before. Stop alcohol. Treat anaemia with intravenous iron. Nutritional supplementation 7 to 10 days for malnourished patients. Exercise plus mental preparation 4 to 6 weeks for prehabilitation. Comorbidity optimisation. Read the full prehabilitation protocol →
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2
Day of surgery
Clear fluids until 2 hours before surgery. Solid food until 6 hours before. The maltodextrin carbohydrate drink 2 hours before (not a sports drink). Antibiotics within 1 hour of incision. Thromboprophylaxis. Selective bowel preparation only when indicated. Read the full day-of protocol →
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3
During and after surgery
Multimodal opioid-sparing pain control. No routine NG tube. No routine drain. Mobilisation within 30 minutes of waking. Solid food the same day. Urinary catheter out same day for laparoscopic surgery. Intravenous fluids off by morning of day 1. Less pain, fewer opioids → · Eating and walking same day →
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4
Going home and follow-up
Discharge when activities of daily living are restored, gut working, pain controlled on oral medication, no complications. Direct phone line to the ward team for any concerns. 30-day follow-up visit. Smartphone monitoring where appropriate. Going home sooner →
Dr. Khaled Ghalwash follows the ERAS Society guidelines because the evidence is overwhelming. Patients walk on the day of surgery, eat solid food the same day, and go home days earlier than 20 years ago. Nothing is invented. The whole protocol is published, peer-reviewed, and applied in 30+ countries. We just commit to it on every operation.
Why ERAS works — the science of stress reduction
Surgery is a controlled injury. The body reacts with a stress response: stress hormones release, glucose rises, muscle protein breaks down, the immune system inflames, and insulin resistance develops. The reaction is normal and protective in moderation. When exaggerated, it causes most of the complications and slow recovery patients suffer after surgery.
Every ERAS element either reduces this stress response or restores normal function faster. Modern fasting plus the carbohydrate drink keep insulin signalling active. Multimodal pain control reduces pain-driven cortisol. Early mobilisation prevents muscle wasting. Avoiding tubes and drains avoids unnecessary infection sources. Each element on its own moves the needle a little. Together they transform the experience.
Which surgeries does ERAS apply to?
The ERAS Society has published evidence-based guidelines for more than 30 surgical specialties:
| Specialty | First guideline | Most recent update |
|---|---|---|
| Colorectal surgery | 2005 (Fearon et al.) | 2019 (Gustafsson et al.) |
| Bariatric surgery | 2016 (Thorell et al.) | 2021 (Stenberg et al.) |
| Liver surgery | 2016 (Melloul et al.) | 2023 (Joliat et al.) |
| Pancreaticoduodenectomy | 2012 (Lassen et al.) | 2020 (Melloul et al.) |
| Gastrectomy | 2014 (Mortensen et al.) | — |
| Gynecologic oncology | 2016 (Nelson et al.) | 2023 (Nelson et al.) |
| Breast reconstruction | 2017 (Temple-Oberle et al.) | — |
| Cesarean delivery | 2018 (Wilson et al.) | 2019 (Macones et al.) |
| Cardiac surgery | 2019 (Engelman et al.) | — |
| Hip and knee replacement | 2020 (Wainwright et al.) | — |
| Spine surgery | 2021 (Debono et al.) | — |
| Emergency laparotomy | 2021 (Peden et al.) | 2023 (Scott et al.) |
For specifics on whether ERAS applies to your surgery and the expected outcomes, see does it work for my surgery.
A short history of how ERAS started
In the 1990s, Henrik Kehlet, a Danish surgeon, published a landmark case series: eight elderly patients aged 71 to 88 had laparoscopic colon surgery and went home two days later. At the time the average stay was two weeks. The protocol Kehlet used was called Fast Track. He showed that with structured pain management, early feeding, and early mobilisation, recovery accelerated dramatically.
In 2001, surgeons from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Denmark formed the ERAS Study Group. They reviewed the literature for every care element with an evidence base and built the first formal ERAS guideline (colonic resection, 2005). The ERAS Society was founded in 2010 to produce, audit, and implement guidelines worldwide. As of 2025, ERAS programs run in more than 30 countries, with national societies including ERAS USA, ERAS UK, ERAS Latin America, and ERAS Japan.
Frequently asked questions
What is ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery)?
ERAS is a perioperative care protocol developed by an international society of surgeons in 2001 and now used in 30+ countries. It bundles 20+ evidence-based care elements before, during, and after surgery to reduce stress on the body, cut complications by up to 50%, and shorten hospital stay by 30-50%. Dr. Khaled Ghalwash and Dr. Mohamed Ghalwash apply the relevant ERAS Society guideline to every elective procedure.
Is ERAS just for cancer surgery?
No. ERAS Society guidelines exist for 30+ specialties including bariatric, gallbladder, thyroid, anorectal, breast, gynecologic, head and neck, hip and knee, cardiac, lung, and even cesarean delivery. The principles are universal: reduce surgical stress, restore normal function fast.
Will I really go home in 2 days after major surgery?
For laparoscopic colorectal resection in fit patients, yes. The first ERAS case series in 1999 discharged elderly patients (ages 71-88) two days after major bowel surgery. The discharge criteria are objective: gut working, pain manageable on oral medication, walking, and no complications. Length of stay depends on the operation and the patient.
Does ERAS reduce my risk of complications?
Yes, by up to 50% in randomized trials of colorectal surgery. Higher protocol compliance is also associated with 42% improved 5-year cancer survival. The mechanism is reduced surgical stress, which reduces insulin resistance, infection rates, and recovery time.
How is ERAS different from regular surgical care?
Regular care often follows decades-old habits without evidence: overnight fasting, NG tubes, drains, bed rest, IV opioids, large IV fluid volumes. ERAS replaces each of these with evidence-based alternatives: clear fluids 2 hours pre-op, no routine NG, no routine drain, walking same day, multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia, balanced fluid therapy.
Schedule with Dr. Khaled Ghalwash and Dr. Mohamed Ghalwash
Book your pre-operative consultation. We walk you through the full ERAS protocol that applies to your specific surgery, including the carbohydrate drink, pain plan, mobilisation timeline, and discharge criteria.
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