Postoperative care

Optimal postoperative care involves a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals and a patient-centred approach to avoid postoperative complications and enable a rapid return to normal function. During the last decade, enhanced recovery after surgery programmes have been implemented worldwide to reduce complications and length of stay – challenging traditional models of perioperative care. Some aspects of perioperative care have consensus guidelines without significant controversy, whereas others, such as perioperative fluid therapy, remain contentious.