[Ambulatory urologic surgery]

Outpatient urinary tract surgery has been possible in our department since November 1988. In this programme, surgical procedures are performed in patients who do not remain in hospital overnight. Stringent surgical, medical and social criteria are prerequisites to this kind of surgery. Between November 1988 and October 1990, 260 outpatients have been admitted in our department to undergo endoscopic surgery (110 cases), conventional surgery (110 cases), extracorporeal lithotripsy (44 cases) or various types of exploration, local drug perfusions and change or removal of stents (37 cases). Thirty six patients stayed in the inpatient department for the first night. One patient was readmitted the day after his discharge because of clotting after bladder biopsies. At the end of this first experience, ambulatory surgery of the urinary tract has proved to be safe for the patients and to offer many advantages on economical, psychological and medical grounds. It can be predicted that in the future the number of outpatient procedures will increase dramatically.