A study in The Spine Journal examined if a standardized patient selection protocol for outpatient anterior cervical discectomy and fusion resulted in noninferior readmission rates compared to overnight admissions.
The study comprised 434 patients who underwent one- or two-level ACDF from March 2016 to March 2017 at a tertiary academic institution. Of the patients, 126 were eligible for same day discharge and 308 for same day admissions according to the protocol.
In both patient groups, there was one readmission 30-days postoperatively, and in the same day admission group, one patient was readmitted during the 90-day postoperative period.
The overall noninferior readmission rate in the same day discharge group was 0.8 percent and 0.6 percent in the same day admission group.
Study authors concluded that "proper identification of patients suitable for outpatient ACDF using our protocol for patient selection and discharge results in a noninferior readmission rate."