Day case anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a study of 51 consecutive patients

We prospectively assessed 51 arthroscopy assisted anterior cruciate reconstructions done over two years as day cases. We looked at the clinical results, postoperative pain control and patient satisfaction. There were 45 males and 6 females, with ages ranging from 18 to 52 years. A hamstring graft was used in 38 patients while 13 patients had reconstructions using the patellar tendon. Forty-nine patients were successfully discharged on the same day while 2 patients had to be admitted due to excessive drainage. Six patients had additional procedures at the time of surgery. The mean time interval from injury to surgery was 27 months (range: 2 to 180). Forty-six patients had an excellent to good outcome as regards satisfaction with one poor result. Pain control was not a major issue with any of the other patients included in the study. Our study demonstrates that day case arthroscopic ACL reconstruction is a safe procedure with minimal to absent morbidity.