EBPOM London 2026: European Postoperative Care Pathways

This presentation was recorded at the Evidence Based Perioperative Medicine (EBPOM) 2026 Annual Global Meeting. It features Nicolai Bang-Foss, Consultant, head of GI and orthopaedic anaesthesia, Hvidovre University Hospital, Denmark His main research field is the perioperative care of the elderly emergency patient. Specific areas of research have been regional analgesia, transfusion thresholds, outreach programs and perioperative logistics as well as perioperative haemodynamics. He describes wide European variation in postoperative pathways driven largely by ICU bed capacity, with Scandinavian countries running lean systems that push PACUs toward 24-hour, higher-acuity perioperative units and preoperative optimization for emergency laparotomy and hip fracture care. He outlines nonstandardized PACU/IMC structures, variable nursing education, and Danish strategies such as bypassing PACU for uncomplicated spinal anesthetic hip/knee replacements to free capacity for high-risk cases. He also reports research suggesting PACU nurses' clinical judgment outperforms discharge scores and highlights deteriorating surgical ward staffing and post-COVID pressures affecting triage and outcomes. If you'd like to hear presentations of this standard - before anyone else - we suggest you investigate our forthcoming EBPOM Ireland conference, being held in the beautiful location of Dingle. World leading experts in perioperative medicine presenting the latest cutting edge research in periperative medicine and enhanced recorvery after surgery. Find more information at EBPOM.org