Early return to work following highly selective vagotomy

In the Royal Navy, after surgery, the time that servicemen spend away from work and the level of duty to which they return are decisions made by the surgeon, not the general practitioner. In a prospective study, we have thus been able to assess the acceptability of return to full duty at decreasing intervals after highly selective vagotomy (HSV). Seventy-eight servicemen who underwent HSV for duodenal ulcer were studied in three periods, 1978-1980, 1981-1982, 1983-1986, each with a shorter interval to return to duty. There were no differences in the rates of ulcer recurrence, incisional hernia, or ability to perform full duties. After HSV the mean time to return to full duties for each group was 29.3, 16.4, and 4.2 weeks, respectively. Every patient returned to full duties at 28 days was able to perform any assigned task whether at sea or ashore.