Perioperative Management

Thoughtful perioperative management of the patient undergoing anorectal surgery is essential. This process starts with the detailed office evaluation of patient-reported symptoms, moves on to the decision to operate with a thorough preoperative assessment, and continues through the patient’s surgery and recovery. When correctly undertaken, patients can anticipate a safe and efficient surgery with appropriately minimized risks of morbidity and mortality. Areas of important focus in perioperative care include patient education, perioperative fluid restriction, and multi-modal postoperative pain control. Most anorectal surgery is performed in the ambulatory setting, which results in lower costs, a faster recovery, and high rates of patient satisfaction.