[Ambulatory orthopedic surgery. A retrospective study apropos of 2338 cases]

A retrospective study of 2,338 outpatient surgical procedures performed at the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université Laval was undertaken. There were 1,308 men and 1,030 women, with a mean age of 40.7 years. General anaesthesia was used in 91.5 per cent of the cases. After surgery, the patients were discharged according to the criteria described by Wetchler and Kortilla. The unanticipated hospital admission rate was 6.1 per cent and the complication rate was 1.3 per cent with no life threatening conditions. Proper selection and preparation of the patient, severe criteria for safe discharge after Day Surgery are mandatory for the patient's safety and satisfaction.