Guidelines for Perioperative Care in Elective Colorectal Surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Society Recommendations: 2018

BackgroundThis is the fourth updated Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS((R))) Society guideline presenting a consensus for optimal perioperative care in colorectal surgery and providing graded recommendations for each ERAS item within the ERAS((R)) protocol.MethodsA wide database search on English literature publications was performed. Studies on each item within the protocol were selected with particular attention paid to meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials and large prospective cohorts and examined, reviewed and graded according to Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system.ResultsAll recommendations on ERAS((R)) protocol items are based on best available evidence; good-quality trials; meta-analyses of good-quality trials; or large cohort studies. The level of evidence for the use of each item is presented accordingly.ConclusionsThe evidence base and recommendation for items within the multimodal perioperative care pathway are presented by the ERAS((R)) Society in this comprehensive consensus review.