Research progress on the application of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine in the perioperative period

The perioperative period refers to the interval from the decision to undergo surgical treatment through the operation itself to the stage of basic recovery. Patient-centered, multidisciplinary collaborative enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has become a major trend in modern clinical medicine. The integrative application of traditional Chinese and western medicine is grounded in modern surgery and anesthesiology, while incorporating the holistic perspective and syndrome differentiation principles of traditional Chinese medicine, thereby exerting synergistic and complementary effects at different stages of the perioperative period. In recent years, research on the integrative application of traditional Chinese and western medicine in the perioperative period has increased, demonstrating potential benefits in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative stages. Accordingly, the present review reviewed and synthesized relevant domestic and international studies on integrative perioperative management, summarizes the principal application approaches, and analyzes the advantages and challenges of current research, with the aim of providing evidence-based references for the standardized perioperative application of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine.