Same-day discharge after laparoscopic appendectomy for non-perforated appendicitis is safe and cost effective.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To compare the outcomes and hospital charges of patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy for non-perforated appendicitis and were discharged home either shortly after the operation after being admitted for overnight observation.

METHODS: Postoperative (30-day) emergency department (ED) visits, hospital readmissions, and reoperations were compared between patients who were discharged shortly after surgery (same-day discharge [SDD] group) and patients who were discharged after spending one night in the hospital (overnight observation group).

STUDY PERIOD: July/2015 to June/2019. Patients with perforated appendicitis and/or who spent > 1 night in the hospital were excluded from the study.

RESULTS: We did 1957 laparoscopic appendectomies within the 4-year study period. After excluding all non-eligible cases, 930 patients were included in the overnight observation group, and 511 in the SDD group. Mean age and mean operative time were similar in both groups: 11.5 (SD 3.6)/11.8 (SD 3.5) years, and 35 (SD 13)/33 (SD 12) minutes, respectively. There were 24 (2.6%) ED visits within the overnight observation group. Sixteen patients (1.7%) were discharged from the ED, and 8 (0.9%) required a re-admission. There were 11 (2.1%; P = 0.61) ED visits within the SDD group. Six patients (1.1%; P = 0.41) were discharged from the ED, and 5 (1%; P = 0.82) required a readmission. Six of the 11 ED visits within the SDD group occurred on the 5th postoperative day or later, whereas five (1%) occurred within the first 3 days post appendectomy. These five patients would have likely benefited from an overnight admission and were erroneously discharged on the same day of the appendectomy. There were no reoperations in the overnight observation group, but there were 3 reoperations in the SDD group (0.6%, P = 0.01). The reasons for the reoperations (two bowel obstructions and one bowel perforation) were in no way related to the time of the original discharge. The mean hospital charges per patient in the SDD group and the overnight observation group were significantly different: $32,450 and $35,420, respectively (> 9% margin, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: Healthy children who undergo laparoscopic appendectomy for non-perforated appendicitis can be discharged home during the same day of the operation after a short period of observation. This approach is safe and does not result in more postoperative ED visits or hospital readmissions. In addition, there is a significant financial benefit when patients are discharged early.

LEVEL-OF-EVIDENCE: Level III-retrospective comparative treatment study.