Same-day discharge after intracranial shunt revision: a retrospective propensity-matched safety analysis

Patients are often observed overnight after ventricular shunt revision for hydrocephalus. We believe that a same-day discharge after a shunt revision is safe in the appropriate population. The purpose of this study was to determine the appropriate patient population and the safety profile for a same-day discharge following a ventricular shunt revision.

We conducted a retrospective chart review of all shunt revisions at a single center from 2014 to 2021. We compared rates of emergency department visits, hospitalization, and revision at 30 and 90 days between same-day discharge and control patients following shunt revision. Non-parametric, logistic regression, and chi-squared testing were performed to measure statistical significance with and without propensity score matching.

A total of 996 patients were examined, with 56 (5.6%) patients being discharged on the same day as the surgery. Patients with a same-day discharge were older, more likely to have distal shunt failure, more likely to have undergone scheduled surgery, and less likely to have visited the emergency department in the prior 30 days. Propensity score matching compared 29 revisions in each group; all covariates were non-significant (p > 0.05), and 30-day and 90-day outcomes were not significantly different the between same-day and non-same day discharge.

These findings validate the safety profile for the same-day discharge in post-operative shunt patients and describe our patient cohort's preferred characteristics. Scheduled, distal shunt failure patients are preferred for early discharge post-operatively. When validated by further studies, this would provide improved patient comfort and decreased healthcare expenses for a shunt failure.