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Recovery pattern and home-readiness after ambulatory surgery
1Department of Anaesthesia, Toronto Western Division, Toronto Hospital, Ontario, Canada.
Anesthesia and Analgesia
|May 1, 1995
Summary
Most patients achieve home readiness within 2 hours after ambulatory surgery. Non-medical factors, not patient symptoms, often delay discharge, especially after complex procedures like laparoscopy.
Area of Science:
- Ambulatory Surgery
- Patient Recovery
- Postoperative Care
Background:
- Limited data exist on patient recovery patterns and home readiness following ambulatory surgery.
- Understanding these factors is crucial given the increasing use of outpatient procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify patient home-readiness patterns after ambulatory surgery.
- To determine persistent symptoms and factors delaying discharge.
- To analyze the impact of surgical type on recovery and symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 500 patients undergoing ambulatory surgery.
- Utilized the Postanesthetic Discharge Scoring System (PADSS) for objective readiness assessment.
- Standardized 24-hour postoperative telephone questionnaires to identify symptoms.
Main Results:
- 82% of patients achieved discharge criteria within 2 hours; 95.6% within 3 hours.
- Non-medical reasons (e.g., escort availability, pain recurrence) caused most discharge delays post-readiness.
- 4.4% experienced persistent symptoms; laparoscopy and orthopedic/general surgery increased this risk sixfold.
Conclusions:
- The majority of patients are ready for discharge within 2 hours based on objective scoring.
- Discharge delays are primarily due to non-medical issues rather than patient condition.
- Surgical complexity influences recovery time and the incidence of postoperative symptoms.