Who We Are
ERAS® stands for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. The ERAS® Cardiac Society focuses on improving care and recovery for patients undergoing heart surgery through research, education, audit, and the implementation of evidence-based practices.
In early 2017, a group of cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, and intensivists formed the Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery (ERACS) group. Their shared goal was to apply enhanced recovery principles to cardiac surgery in order to improve patient outcomes and recovery.
This early collaboration led to the publication of the first expert consensus recommendations for an enhanced recovery protocol in cardiac surgery. As the work expanded, ERAS® Cardiac formally aligned with the ERAS® Society and evolved into a global, nonprofit organization supported by a multidisciplinary network of experts across the perioperative care continuum.
Today, the ERAS® Cardiac Society is dedicated to developing expert consensus statements that promote best-practice recovery pathways in cardiac surgery. These recommendations are designed to help healthcare teams develop and refine local protocols as part of a continuous quality improvement process. The ultimate goals are better patient outcomes, fewer postoperative complications, and more efficient use of healthcare resources following heart surgery.
The ERAS® Society
The ERAS® Society is an international organization that develops enhanced recovery guidelines across multiple surgical specialties.
Originally founded in 2001 as the ERAS® Study Group, the initiative was led by Professor Ken Fearon of the University of Edinburgh and Professor Olle Ljungqvist of the Karolinska Institute. Their work focused on advancing multimodal approaches to surgical care.
Early efforts revealed significant variation in perioperative practices and inconsistent use of evidence-based best practices across institutions. This insight led the group to study not only clinical evidence but also the transition of healthcare teams from traditional approaches to standardized, evidence-based care.
Since its inception, the ERAS® Society has expanded to include numerous surgical subspecialties. The organization emphasizes standardized best practices across the entire perioperative continuum, the importance of data-driven evaluation, and continuous improvement in patient care.
Our Organizational Structure
ERAS® Cardiac comprises experts from around the world and includes representation from all members of the healthcare team.
The community collaborates to implement enhanced recovery principles at local institutions while advancing patient care globally through education, research, and dissemination of current evidence related to perioperative cardiac care.
The ERAS® Cardiac Society is organized into two core groups:
- Executive Board
- Advisory Board
Together, these groups support the development of guidelines, educational initiatives, and collaborative efforts that advance enhanced recovery in cardiac surgery.