Fast-Track Pediatric Surgery

Abstract

Fast-track surgery was developed by the Danish surgeon Henrik Kehlet in the 1990s. It was initially termed enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) and represents a comprehensive perioperative therapeutic concept with the aim to reduce discomfort, the physiological postoperative stress response, postoperative pain, and complications by means of combining organizational and therapeutic measures. Numerous studies confirmed the safety and effectiveness of fast-track concepts and a substantial reduction of hospital stay compared with conventional strategies in children and adolescents. These studies showed that the use of fast-track achieves an improvement in patients, comfort and quality of care. The acceptance of fast-track by patients and parents is excellent. This chapter contains a description of the conceptual background, the development, and the current status of fast-track pediatric surgery.