WHAT IS DAYCARE SURGERY?

Day care surgery means that patients admitted for a surgical procedure get discharged the same day without overnight stay. Preoperative preparation including medical and financial clearances are completed on outpatient basis. In the outpatient clinic, the patient is counseled in detail about the procedure, how to prepare for it and what to expect perioperatively. The patient arrives on the morning of surgery, is admitted in the daycare ward, undergoes the surgery and after observation for about 6 hours is discharged home in the evening on medication. With improvements in surgical techniques such as minimally invasive surgery, anesthesia and pain relief techniques, procedures that previously required patients to stay in hospital for several days have been reduced to 24 hours. This is important from several viewpoints for patient and family members as it avoids the inconvenience of patient and a family member having to stay in hospital, saves time and expense. There is reduced anxiety as patient can spend the night prior to surgery in familiar home conditions. Some of the procedures that can be performed as daycare surgery include laparoscopic cholecystectomy, diagnostic laparoscopy, urologic procedures among others. More procedures are being added to the list over time.