Evidence Review Conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery: Focus on Anesthesiology for Bariatric Surgery

Enhanced recovery after surgery protocols for bariatric surgery are increasingly being implemented, and reports suggest that they may be associated with superior outcomes, reduced length of hospital stay, and cost savings. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, in partnership with the American College of Surgeons and the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, has developed the Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery. We have conducted an evidence review to select anesthetic interventions that positively influence outcomes and facilitate recovery after bariatric surgery. A literature search was performed for each intervention, and the highest levels of available evidence were considered. Anesthesiology-related interventions for pre- (carbohydrate loading/fasting, multimodal preanesthetic medications), intra- (standardized intraoperative pathway, regional anesthesia, opioid minimization and multimodal analgesia, protective ventilation strategy, fluid minimization), and postoperative (multimodal analgesia with opioid minimization) phases of care are included. We have summarized the best available evidence to recommend the anesthetic components of care for enhanced recovery after surgery for bariatric surgery. There is evidence in the literature, and from society guidelines, to support the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery goals for bariatric surgery.