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Guidelines for antenatal and preoperative care in cesarean delivery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Society recommendations (part 1)-2025 update

R. D. Wilson, David T. Monks, N. Sharawi, J. Bamber, D. Panelli, K. Sauro, Prakeshkumar S. Shah, G. M. Muraca et al.

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2025

800 participants · 29 citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Enhanced recovery after cesarean delivery protocols include evidence-based interventions designed to improve patient experience, pregnancy, and neonatal outcomes while reducing healthcare-related costs. This is the first update of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Society guidelines for antenatal and preoperative care before cesarean delivery after the original publication in 2018.

METHODS

Interventions were selected based on expert consensus using the Delphi method. An updated literature search was conducted in September 2024 using the Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE, EBSCO CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Targeted searches were performed by a medical librarian to identify relevant articles published since the 2018 Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Society guidelines publication, which evaluated each antenatal and preoperative enhanced recovery after cesarean delivery intervention, focusing on randomized clinical trials and large observational studies (≥800 patients) to maximize search feasibility and relevance. Following a review of the evidence, a consensus was reached regarding the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendation for each proposed intervention according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system.

RESULTS

The 6 recommended enhanced recovery after cesarean delivery interventions are (1) antenatal pathway patient education for…

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