Leading European Centers Achieve ERAS® Qualification in Cardiac Surgery, Supported by Encare
During late 2025, leading European cardiac surgery centers completed full ERAS® implementation and achieved ERAS® Qualification in collaboration with 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 complexity, substantial resource requirements, and significant variation in care pathways. The 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. The need for standardized, measurable, and continuously monitored care pathways is therefore 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 its 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. The hospitals report, among other outcomes, shorter lengths of stay, reduced need for intensive care, and fewer serious postoperative complications. Overall, these findings suggest that ERAS® in cardiac surgery contributes to more predictable care pathways, focusing on both quality and recovery.
Encare has supported the implementations through the ERAS® Implementation Program (EIP), providing a structured framework for introducing ERAS® in clinical practice. The program includes coordination across different parts of the healthcare organization and a unified approach throughout the care pathway. Long-term performance monitoring is enabled through Encare’s ERAS® Interactive Audit System (EIAS), which provides care teams with reliable data on 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 their ERAS® programs to include cardiac surgery, supported by Encare.
“Cardiac surgery is one of the most complex and resource-intensive surgical specialties, where improvements in care pathways can have a significant impact on both patients and healthcare systems,” says Rasmus Waller, CEO of Encare. “It is encouraging to see ERAS® being implemented and teams qualified in cardiac surgery at leading hospitals in Europe, confirming that a structured and data-driven approach is effective even in highly advanced surgery. Encare’s role is to ensure that hospitals can measure, sustain, and continuously improve these results over time.”
The expansion of ERAS® into cardiac surgery further demonstrates the scalability of the ERAS® methodology across surgical specialties and healthcare systems, reinforcing its role as a foundation for modern perioperative quality improvement.
For more information, please contact:
Rasmus Waller, CEO
Phone: +46 768 09 04 82a
Email: rasmus.waller@encare.net
About Encare
Encare is a HealthTech company that develops a SaaS solution that contributes to improving surgical outcomes. Encare's interactive, cloud-based solution enables healthcare providers to follow international treatment guidelines before, during, and after major surgical procedures. Encare's service contains programs, so-called protocols, based on the international guidelines ERAS®, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, built on research and global best practice. Encare was founded in 2009 by Professor Olle Ljungqvist, one of the founders of the ERAS® Society – a network of world-leading perioperative care authorities that develops the guidelines. In 2022, Professor Ljungqvist was awarded the most prestigious prize in the world of surgery by the International Society of Surgery (SS/SIC) for his work with ERAS®. To learn more, visit encare.net and follow Encare on LinkedIn.
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