Tackling the economic burden of postsurgical complications: would perioperative goal-directed fluid therapy help?

Pay-for-performance programs and economic constraints call for solutions improving the quality of health care without increasing costs [1]. In this respect, the American Society of Anesthesiology is developing a perioperative surgical home program in order to optimize quality and continuity of care for surgical patients [2,3]. Perioperative goal directed fluid therapy (GDFT) is a general term referring to targeted hemodynamic and fluid management using parameters such as stroke volume, cardiac output, and/or oxygen delivery, in conjunction with standard vital signs in managing patients during and immediately after surgery.