Current situation and consideration on the enhanced recovery protocols in lung cancer surgery

In the latest few decades, the practice of “surgical therapy” has seen expansive development and been accompanied by considerable advances in minimally invasive surgery, anesthetic technique and perioperative care, in addition to a greater understanding of overall surgical pathophysiology. Accordingly, enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), an evidence-based multimodal protocol of perioperative care, has emerged as an inevitable outcome of the development of surgical theory and technology (1-4), and attempts to achieve the following aims: to minimize perioperative stress responses and catabolism; to decrease morbidity rates; to shorten the length of stay (LOS); to facilitate an early return to normal life through faster procedure; and to improve the prognosis of surgical patients