[Experiences with arthrotomy of the knee in day care]

A retrospective study was performed of patients who had undergone an open knee procedure treated as day cases at the Regional Hospital of Zevenaar. An analysis was made of the rate of complications, whether complications were treated adequately, and how patients experienced an arthrotomy of the knee as a day-case procedure. Eighty-seven healthy patients aged 15 to 50 years underwent an arthrotomy of one knee as a day-case procedure, secondary to a diagnostic arthroscopy. The mean follow-up period was 8 months. Patients were reviewed by questionnaire, after which the knee was examined. The number of complications (6) was comparable with those reported in the literature. Complications within a few days after operation were reported to the GPs, who either treated themselves, or referred patients to the hospital. Of the patients 76% preferred this procedure to an operation in a clinical setting. The amount of pain suffered appears to be of great influence on the preference of the patient. The results of this study demonstrate that an arthrotomy of the knee is feasible as a day-care procedure, although extensive pre- and postoperative instructions to the patients may be improved.