enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS)

March 27, 2026

Vanderbilt Lung Transplant Program sets new record

The program performed 149 lung transplants in 2025, the most ever in one year at Vanderbilt Health, and is now the second largest lung transplant center in the U.S.

By Matt Batcheldor
An initiative at VUMC is helping patients recover more quickly from major surgery, leave the hospital earlier and have fewer side effects from their pain management. (photo by Joe Howell)
December 2, 2025

Ketamine fails surgical recovery trial

In a large, placebo-controlled, randomized trial, the pain reliever ketamine posed side effects while failing to aid patient recovery after major surgery.

By Paul Govern
An initiative at VUMC is helping patients recover more quickly from major surgery, leave the hospital earlier and have fewer side effects from their pain management. (photo by Joe Howell)
April 26, 2024

VUH adopts enhanced recovery for spine surgery

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is launching an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway for the nearly 1,000 adult patients who undergo elective spine surgery each year at Vanderbilt University Hospital and Belle Meade Surgery Center.

By Paul Govern
October 13, 2022

VUH adopts enhanced recovery for sarcoma surgery

Vanderbilt’s latest enhanced recovery after surgery clinical pathway was launched last month for adult patients receiving surgery to remove extremity soft tissue sarcomas, which are cancerous tumors that can arise in muscles, tendons, fat, blood vessels and other connective tissue.

By Paul Govern
An initiative at VUMC is helping patients recover more quickly from major surgery, leave the hospital earlier and have fewer side effects from their pain management.
August 17, 2022

VUMC launches enhanced recovery for total joint replacement

Vanderbilt’s enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program recently expanded to include the 1,400 patients per year who receive total hip replacement or total knee replacement surgery.

By Paul Govern
January 7, 2021

VA adopts enhanced recovery for total knee, total hip patients

For patients receiving total knee or total hip replacements at the Nashville VA Medical Center, the use of opioids for inpatient pain management and the total time patients spent in the hospital were both greatly reduced following the January 2016 adoption of sweeping quality improvement measures.

By Paul Govern