Sp. Oskowitz et al., SAFETY OF A FREESTANDING SURGICAL UNIT FOR THE ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES, Fertility and sterility, 63(4), 1995, pp. 874-879
Objective: To determine the safety of a freestanding surgical unit for
assisted reproductive technology (ART), using the rate of unplanned a
dmissions to a hospital within 24 hours of surgery. Design: Prospectiv
e. Setting: A freestanding surgical unit within a medical office build
ing. Patients: A mixture of private and university-referred patients u
ndergoing 6,776 ART surgical procedures. Main Outcome Measures: Patien
ts admitted during the first 24 hours of surgery were recorded and hos
pital progress was monitored for invasive procedures, treatments, time
of discharge, and residual complications. Variables tabulated include
d age, fertility diagnosis, ART procedure, E(2) level, number of folli
cles by ultrasound, previous surgery, and type of anesthesia. Results:
There were 11 hospital admissions (0.16%). Four patients required sur
gery: one laparoscopy and three laparotomies. Admissions after vaginal
oocyte retrieval were no different from those after GIFT via laparosc
opy, 0.16% versus 0.18%, respectively. The number of admissions after
monitored anesthesia care was higher than expected compared with gener
al anesthesia, Profiles of hospitalized patients showed no apparent di
fferences from the nonhospitalized patients. Conclusions: Surgical pro
cedures for ART performed in a freestanding surgical unit can be perfo
rmed safely with a low hospitalization rate and minimal morbidity.