• Torsten Loop.
• Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany.
• Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2016 Feb 1; 29 (1): 20-5.

Purpose Of ReviewUpdate of key elements on enhanced recovery after thoracic anaesthesia and surgery.Recent FindingsPathways to enhance recovery after thoracic surgery ('fast-track') aim to improve response to lung surgery, reduction of postoperative pulmonary complications, and restore patient's vital function. Uncomplicated recovery after lung surgery reduces morbidity, hospital stay, and costs. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is a major part of enhanced recovery minimizing tissue injury and stress response. Maintaining patient's physiology throughout perioperative processes by optimized anaesthesiological management and effective pain control present a crucial role in improving outcome.SummaryThe concept of enhanced recovery ('fast-track') after thoracic surgery and anaesthesia was developed in recent years making allowance to the increased number of video-assisted parenchymal lung resections in managing primary lung cancer. Current studies promote the benefit in thoracic surgical patients, if an established departmental protocol-based algorithm is implemented.

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