Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Jul 27, 2026; 18(7): 119544
Published online Jul 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.119544
Published online Jul 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.119544
Letter to the Editor: Reframing post-anesthesia care unit handover in gastrointestinal surgery - a missing link in enhanced recovery after surgery pathways
Fan Bu, Department of Anesthesiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China
Zi-Jia Liu, Department of Anesthesiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China
Author contributions: Bu F drafted the first version; Bu F and Liu ZJ proposed the initial concept and conducted the literature review, collaborated to revise the draft and finalize the manuscript; and all the authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: We did not use any AI tools.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Zi-Jia Liu, MD, Assistant Professor, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Anesthesiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Beijing 100730, China. liu-zj02@126.com
Received: January 30, 2026
Revised: March 22, 2026
Accepted: May 18, 2026
Published online: July 27, 2026
Processing time: 178 Days and 19.1 Hours
Revised: March 22, 2026
Accepted: May 18, 2026
Published online: July 27, 2026
Processing time: 178 Days and 19.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Within the perioperative management pathway of the enhanced recovery after surgery concept, the post-anesthesia care unit is often regarded as a “brief stopover area” rather than a genuine “management node”. In fact, the post-anesthesia care unit serves as the sole transitional point from anesthesia management to the surgical ward, where measures such as analgesia, antiemesis, and temperature management continue to be implemented. Any omission of information at this stage may undermine the effectiveness of prior enhanced recovery after surgery implementation.