EARLY DISCHARGE AFTER OPERATION

To assess the feasibility and advantages of short-stay surgery in Indi a, a policy of early discharge was adopted for 386 patients undergoing various major and minor operations. The mean postoperative and total hospital stays of patients admitted for minor surgery were 1.9 and 3.7 days respectively; the corresponding figures for age- and sex-matched historical controls were 7.4 and 11.3 days. The mean postoperative an d total stays of patients who had undergone major surgery were 4.1 and 8.0 days respectively, the corresponding control values were 8.9 and 12.5 days. The use of absorbable subcuticular skin sutures helped to s horten postoperative hospital stay and avoided an extra follow-up visi t. The overall complication rate in the study group was 9.6 per cent a nd in historical controls 13.4 per cent (P > 0.05). A total of 2357 ho spital bed-days were saved during the study and 95.6 per cent of patie nts approved of short-stay surgery.