Disposition, outcomes of patients after day-of-surgery case cancellation

Editor's Note

In this study from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, researchers find that nearly a fifth of cases canceled on the day of surgery are never rescheduled, and, if they are rescheduled, the delay can be substantial.

During the 2-year study period, 4,472 cases were canceled on the day of surgery, with 20% associated with medical or anesthetic causes. Of those, 47.8% were due to acute conditions.

A total of 72% of cases were rescheduled, and 83% of rescheduled cases resolved the underlying issue before the procedure was done.

The researchers concluded that although the majority of rescheduled patients resolved the underlying issue that led to cancellation, a significant portion had no change in their status before the completion of their surgical procedures.