ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS OF DAY SURGERY IN CHILDREN IN A DEVELOPING-COUNTRY

Day surgery (DS) especially in children, has been widely accepted by s urgeons, and the benefits to the patients, parents, and hospital have been well-established. It has become particularly popular among workin g parents and is accepted by hospital administrators. Proper case sele ction, preoperative assessment, and proper parent counselling, choice of anaesthesia, postoperative analgesia, and follow-up advice are esse ntial for a successful outcome. This paper records our experience with 465 infants and children who underwent DS at Government Stanley Hospi tal and two semi-charitable trust hospitals in Madras during the years 1985-1986. The overall acceptance of the programme was excellent, wit h minimal complications and a fallout rate of 9.6%. The advantages of DS in our environment are discussed.