Postoperative hospital admission from a day surgery unit: a seven-year retrospective survey

Postoperative hospital admissions from a hospital-based Day Surgery Unit were reviewed during the period 1984 to 1990. There were 18,321 procedures performed in different specialties. Of these, 225 patients required hospital admissions--a rate of 1.2%. Highest admission rate was found in gynaecological surgery (100 out of 225). Laparoscopic procedures accounted for 64 admissions, of which 13 were due to visceral perforations. Urological surgery resulted in 35 admissions (4.5% of the urological caseload). Perhaps this reflects the patient age group and preexisting medical conditions. Interestingly, there were 13 admissions for social reasons. Many of these admissions were due to either multiple procedures or surgery more extensive than planned. Even with the higher rate of admissions, hospital-based centres probably provide a better quality care for those who require major surgery or develop some complications in the perioperative period.