BACKGROUND:Enhanced recovery pathways (ERPs) have been shown to aid in patient recovery and improve outcomes in many surgical settings. At present, there is limited data available regarding the use and feasibility of ERPs for patients undergoing microsurgical breast reconstruction. We sought to assess patient outcomes before and after the introduction of an ERP that was adopted by multiple surgeons at a single cancer center. METHODS:A multidisciplinary ERP was developed for patients undergoing deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) or muscle-sparing free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap breast reconstruction. Core elements of the ERP included substituting intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with a multimodal pain regimen consisting of intravenous ketorolac and transversus abdominis plane blocks with liposomal bupivacaine, as well as the use of intraoperative goal-directed fluid management. Patients who underwent surgery between April and August 2015 using the ERP were compared with a historical control cohort. The primary endpoints were hospital length of stay (LOS) and total postoperative opioid consumption. RESULTS:In total, 91 consecutive patients were analyzed (ERP, 42; pre-ERP, 49). Mean hospital LOS was significantly shorter in the ERP group than in the pre-ERP group (4.0 vs. 5.0 days; p<0.0001). Total postoperative morphine equivalent consumption was also lower in the ERP group (46.0 vs. 70.5 mg; p=0.003). There was no difference in the incidence of 30-day complications between the groups (p=0.6). CONCLUSIONS:The adoption of an ERP for DIEP and TRAM flap reconstruction by multiple surgeons significantly decreased opioid consumption and reduced LOS by 1 day.