Same-day discharge for appendectomy patients

Editor's Note

Patients who have a laparoscopic appendectomy can go home the same day of surgery with similar outcomes to patients who spent a night in the hospital, this study finds.

In this analysis of 12,703 patients, those who were discharged the same day of surgery had an overall readmission rate of 2.2%, compared with 3.1% for those who stayed overnight.

Postoperative rates of visits to the emergency room or radiology department for diagnostic or therapeutic imaging studies were statistically similar for both groups.

Same-day discharge translated into an average direct cost savings of $348 per case.

Small studies done during the past decade have demonstrated same-day discharge after appendectomy as an option for non-perforated appendicitis. Here we have examined a large cohort to confirm that same-day discharge in acute non-perforated appendicitis is a safe option.