ERAS and early mobilisation: a 2022 review

A review published in 2022 describes early mobilisation as a core component of ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) pathways. According to the review, it reduces the risk of post-operative complications, speeds up the return of walking capacity, improves several patient-reported outcomes and shortens hospital stay.

What ERAS is

ERAS is a multidisciplinary perioperative care pathway integrating: pre-operative optimisation (nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation), minimal anaesthesia with reduced opioid analgesics, goal-directed fluid therapy and early post-operative mobilisation.

Getting out of bed within 24 hours of surgery is part of care. Early mobilisation is associated with a lower risk of thrombosis, better breathing, an earlier return of bowel function, less loss of muscle mass and a faster functional recovery.

Among recent advances, the review points to wearable devices that give immediate feedback on how much a patient moves.

The Digital Twin and this research

The Digital Twin lines up the data your devices write to your phone, such as steps, heart rate and sleep, and shows you how they change over time. It does not replace the ERAS pathway and it does not diagnose: this research describes groups of people, not you. The ERAS pathway is decided and followed by the care team.