Same-day discharge is not associated with increased readmissions or complications after thyroid operations

Area of Science:

• Surgical Outcomes
• Patient Discharge Practices

Background:

• Overnight hospitalization post-thyroid surgery is common due to concerns about hypocalcemia and hematoma.
• Same-day discharge is emerging as a popular alternative in recent years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of same-day discharge versus overnight hospitalization after thyroid surgery.
• To compare readmission rates and postoperative complications between different discharge timings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Targeted Thyroidectomy database (2016-2017).
• Employed 1:1 propensity score matching to compare patients discharged on postoperative day 0 with those discharged on postoperative days 1 or 2.
• Constructed multivariable logistic regression models to analyze outcomes.

Main Results:

• 26.4% of 10,502 patients were discharged on postoperative day 0.
• Propensity score matching created 1,977 matched pairs.
• No significant differences in readmission rates (OR 1.26), surgical site infection, severe hypocalcemia, neck hematoma, or recurrent laryngeal nerve injury were observed between same-day and delayed discharge groups.

Conclusions:

• Same-day discharge after thyroid surgery is not associated with increased readmission or complications.
• This finding supports same-day discharge as a safe option compared to traditional overnight stays.