As per a novel study published in the AANA Journal, the implementation of a standardized anesthetic protocol i.e. Amputation Improved Recovery Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) procedure designed for patients undergoing amputation was useful in improving the patient outcomes.

Anesthetic modalities to alleviate the phantom limb pain development have not been standardized into an evidence-based, multimodal anesthesia protocol to encourage improved patient outcomes. This study examined the application of a lower extremity, amputation-specific anesthesia protocol.

A total of 94 patients were anesthetized for their amputation via an Amputation Improved Recovery ERAS procedure in the post-implementation group. A comparison of patient outcomes before and after protocol application was achieved.

As revealed, the rate of continuous peripheral nerve block placement was greater in the post-implementation group (37.2%) as compared to the pre-implementation group (29.6%). No difference concerning average pain scores and morphine equivalent consumption rates per patient through hospitalization amongst the groups was found.

Considerably lesser mean pain scores during the first 24 hours following amputation; lesser post-surgery complications, amputation revisions, hospital readmissions for 30-day, and readmissions linked to amputation surgery; and higher rates of initial phantom limb pain that resolved through hospitalization was found in the post-implementation group.

Trials of this procedure somewhere else may improve recovery for patients undergoing amputations, concluded Emelia D G Hutto al.