[Possibilities and limits of ambulatory operations in vascular surgery: demands and reality]

The requirements for day-case a-v fistula surgery are an effective out-patient clinic, adequate surgical and anaesthesiological equipment and a thorough patient selection for the planned operation. For surgical reasons, only 87 cases (8.1%) out of the 1068 a-v fistula operations carried out had to be admitted to a ward. Nevertheless 35% of the patients were on a ward at the time of the operation for medical reasons. In case of an ideal co laboration between nephrologists and surgeons there should not be more than 10-25% of the dialysis patients in hospital at the time of a-v fistula surgery depending on the severity of their disease and the planned operation.