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The ERAS Cardiac Newsletter provides insight into current topics on enhanced recovery, new developments and research, Society news, as well as information on recent publications and upcoming meetings.

The ERAS Cardiac Newsletter provides insight into current topics on enhanced recovery, new developments and research, Society news, as well as information on recent publications and upcoming meetings.

Highlights of the September 2022 Newsletter:

- Patient-Reported Experience Measures

- Post-Intensive Care Syndrome

- Caffeine Supplementation as part of an ERAS Protocol

- Treating AFib During CV Surgery: Evidence Review

- Recent ERAS-related publications

Editor: Rawn Salenger MD

Congratulations to our ERAS Cardiac Society President, Dr. Dan Engelman on recently being named Senior Perioperative Editor for the Annals of Thoracic Surgery (ATS).

From the Annals of Thoracic Surgery Website:

"The mission of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery is to promote scholarship in cardiothoracic surgery patient care, clinical practice, research, education, and policy. As the official journal of two of the largest American associations in its specialty, this leading monthly enjoys outstanding editorial leadership and maintains rigorous selection standards.

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery features:

• Full-length original articles on clinical advances, current surgical methods, and controversial topics and techniques
• New Technology articles
• Reviews of current literature
• Supplements on symposia
• Commentary pieces and correspondence
• CME
• Online-only case reports, "how-to-do-its", and images in cardiothoracic surgery.

An authoritative, clinically oriented, comprehensive resource, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery is committed to providing a place for all thoracic surgeons to relate experiences which will help improve patient care."

The ERAS Cardiac Society is excited to announce that in the near future we will be launching a brand new online educational platform: ERAS Cardiac Virtual Training Center (VTC). The VTC will be an opportunity for healthcare providers, trainees, and patients to pursue self-directed learning about enhanced recovery for cardiac surgery. Learners will be able to browse a comprehensive selection of Modules related to ERAS Cardiac history, care elements, and implementation. Bringing together international ERAS experts, we will create an online learning experience based on a wide selection of high-quality and informative multi-media presentations, pod-casts, recommended publications, and other educational content.

Modules & Topics for the initial ERAS Cardiac VTC launch will include:

Module 1: ERAS Cardiac – Overview & Concepts

• History of ERAS
• Principles of ERAS
• History of ERAS Cardiac

Module 2: Core Elements

• Active chest tube clearance
• AKI prevention
• Delirium
• Early Extubation
• Goal-directed therapy
• Multimodal analgesia
• Nutrition
• Patient Engagement
• Prehabilitation
• Rigid sternal fixation
• Surgical Site Infection Reduction

Module 3: Future of ERAS Cardiac

• Atrial fibrillation
• Blood conservation
• Goal-directed perfusion
• PONV
• Regional anesthesia

Module 4: Program Development and Implementation

• Build your ERAS Team
• Engaging patients
• Facilitating organizational change
• Common barriers to implementation
• ERAS Cardiac Audit

Access to the VTC will be limited to ERAS Cardiac Society Members, another new initiative that we are undertaking.

Click below to learn more about the upcoming ERAS Cardiac Membership:

ERAS Cardiac VTC launch is anticipated to be in late 2022/early 2023. We will continue to keep the ERAS community updated via email.

If you are interested in the VTC or ERAS Cardiac Membership, please let us know via our website Contact Page.

Congratulations Dr. Sameer Hirji for being the recipient of the inaugural Richard Engelman Cardiac Enhanced Recovery Fellowship Award. This award affords the recipient the opportunity to join the ERAS Cardiac Executive Board in focused research, collaboration, and presentations at academic meetings.

The intent is to provide an enriched experience for the awardee to gain advanced training in perioperative care of cardiac surgical patients. Awardees may also travel to expert institutions for advanced training.

More about Dr. Hirji:

Dr. Hirji is a Cardiac Surgery Resident in the joint 4/3 cardiothoracic and general surgery program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He previously completed his undergraduate degree in biological engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology followed by graduation from Duke University School of Medicine. He also has a Master’s in Public Health from T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Hirji is a clinician-scientist with a proven record of publishing in major academic journals, including JAMA, JACC, Circulation, and EHJ. He has over 220 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters with a focus on surgical and transcatheter aortic valve therapies, standardizing cardiac clinical outcomes, as well as identifying new avenues for research in the context of enhanced recovery after cardiac surgery. Dr. Hirji’s work has been recognized at the STS and AATS with several awards, including the J. Maxwell Chamberlain award, Richard Clark Memorial Award, and C. Walton Lillehei Award.