A minority of patients discharged within 24 hours after laparoscopic colon resection

Fast-track laparoscopic colon surgery has gained wide acceptance worldwide. Post-operative hospital stays of 2-5 days have typically been reported. However, in our department some of the patients have been discharged within 24 h after surgery. The aim of this study was to describe differences in demographic and perioperative data between those patients discharged within 24 h and those discharged on days 2-4 post-operatively.

Data were collected retrospectively from August 2008 to May 2012. A total of 24 patients undergoing elective right-sided hemicolectomy or sigmoidectomy for colon cancer were discharged within 24 h. These 24 patients were compared with 209 patients undergoing the same procedures, but discharged on the second to the fourth post-operative day. All patients were operated laparoscopically according to our fast-track regimen. Demographic data and short-term outcomes were compared between the two groups.

We found that the median age (64 years versus 70 years) (p = 0.018) as well as the median operating time (120 min. versus 155 min.) (p = 0.002) were significantly lower for the 24-h stay group. No other significant differences were found between the two groups.

This study showed that discharge within the first 24 h after elective laparoscopic fast-track colon surgery was significantly associated with lower age and shorter duration of surgery.

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