Research published in the Journal of Arthroplasty found outpatient joint surgery may be a safe and effective procedure compared to inpatient surgery.
The researchers performed a systematic review of 10 manuscripts studying outpatient arthroplasty accounting for 1,009 patients between January 2000 and June 2016.
Here are the key study findings:
1. In the studies reviewed by the researchers, there were no deaths reported, and only one major complication.
2. Of the patients studied, 955 were discharged the same day as scheduled. The failures to discharge were secondary to pain, hypotension and nausea.
3. Twenty patients required reoperation and 20 had readmission or went to the emergency room within 90 days of the operation.
4. Eighty and 96 percent of patients said they would choose to undergo outpatient arthroplasty again when responding to a two series survey recording patient outcomes.
5. "For carefully selected patients with experienced surgeons in major centers, outpatient arthroplasty may be a safe and effective procedure. Although our data is promising, further study is required to better elucidate the differences between inpatient and outpatient arthroplasty outcomes," the researchers concluded.