During late 2025, leading European cardiac surgery centers completed full ERAS® implementation and achieved ERAS® Qualification in cardiac surgery, supported by Encare. This milestone represents a significant advancement in structured, evidence-based perioperative care within one of the most complex surgical specialties.
Cardiac surgery is characterized by high clinical complexity, substantial resource requirements, and significant variation in care pathways. Length of hospital stay, need for intensive care, and the risk of postoperative complications have a major impact on both patient outcomes and healthcare resource utilization. For this reason, standardized, measurable, and continuously monitored care pathways are particularly critical within the specialty.
Among the first European hospitals to achieve ERAS® Qualification for cardiac surgery are Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) in Germany and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi in Florence, Italy.
ERAS® Qualification is independently assessed and issued by the ERAS® Society, based on sustained compliance with published guidelines, multidisciplinary implementation, and continuous outcome monitoring over time. The cardiac surgery ERAS® protocol is developed and maintained by the Society based on international evidence and expert consensus.
Experience from UKE and Careggi shows that a structured introduction of ERAS® in cardiac surgery can lead to clear improvements in care pathways, including shorter lengths of stay, reduced need for intensive care, and fewer serious postoperative complications. Together, these improvements contribute to more predictable, efficient, and patient-centered care.
Encare supported both hospitals through the ERAS® Implementation Program (EIP), providing a structured framework for introducing ERAS® into clinical practice across the organization. Long-term performance monitoring is enabled through Encare’s ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS), allowing care teams to continuously track compliance, outcomes, and improvement trends.
Beyond Germany and Italy, additional European hospitals have initiated ERAS® cardiac surgery programs. Internationally, established ERAS® centers in countries such as Chile and Uruguay are also expanding ERAS® into cardiac surgery, supported by Encare.
The expansion of ERAS® into cardiac surgery demonstrates the scalability of the ERAS® methodology across surgical specialties and healthcare systems, reinforcing its role as a foundation for modern perioperative quality improvement.
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