Monitoring early discharge after laparoscopic colon surgery: an interventional study

Laparoscopic colorectal surgery combined with Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) has improved patient outcomes by promoting faster recovery, reducing pain, and lowering the risk of complications. However, increasing demand on hospital capacity for clinical admissions and the shortage of healthcare professionals remains challenging. Home monitoring after surgical procedures and early discharge offers a potential solution. This study aims to assess the feasibility, safety and patient satisfaction with early discharge following elective colorectal surgery using continuous monitoring of vital signs and questionnaires.

A prospective, single-centre, interventional study. Patients who meet the discharge criteria could leave on day one or two after surgery, monitored at home with sensors for vital signs and health questionnaires.

Of 51 patients, 30 (58.8%) were discharged early. The results show successful early discharge in 80% (24 out of 30 patients) with a readmission rate of 20% of which 13.3% due to problems with the monitoring system. None of these readmissions were due to deviations in vital sign measurement at home. The patient satisfaction was high ranging between 6 and 7 (out of 7).

Early discharge with continue monitoring is feasible for a selected group of colorectal surgery patients. No patients were readmitted because of serious complications. Further research should focus on expending the sample size and investigating the impact of early discharge without continuous monitoring.