Day Care Surgery

 A patient recovers from surgery and is fit to return home within a day (24 hrs.)

Day care surgery delivers the same high quality care as that given to hospital patients and is economical as well. Day care surgery has now become an accepted method of treatment for a number of surgical patients. All day care surgical patients come early in the morning and after the surgery is over, if the post-operative observation is uneventful, the patient is discharged home the same day. Patients selected for day care surgery need some degree of focused post-operative monitoring for a few hours. 

A preadmission consultation in our unit is required. The patient is worked up for the surgery pre-operatively in the OPD with prior appointments. The procedure and aftercare is explained to the patient and any investigations required are sent. A detailed explanation of the day care surgery procedure, admission and discharge criteria, post-operative care at home by the relative and possibility of admission due to complications, if any is given. 

These patients are usually operated under local, regional or general anesthesia (monitored anesthesia). At the time of discharge the patient's fitness is assessed, potential side effects or complications and medication to be taken are explained. Subsequent follow-up and readmissions if required are arranged on consultation through our emergency contact numbers. 

Choice of Anesthesia: We tend to avoid spinal anesthesia & general anesthesia in many surgeries. We have observed that many operations can be performed under local anesthesia very safely with good patient satisfaction, early postoperative recovery and mobilization, less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay and early return to activity. Surgery performed under local anesthesia has an advantage of ease of administration, short post anesthesia recovery period & lesser anesthesia related complications. Headaches, urinary retention & backaches after spinal anesthesia and post operative nausea, vomiting, need for intensive care monitoring and respiratory complications after general anesthesia can be easily avoided by performing more surgeries under local anesthesia. Besides all these advantages surgery under local anesthesia requires lesser hospital stay, lesser cost & can be given to the patients having co-morbidity in which general or spinal anesthesia cannot be used. We regularly perform surgery for hernia, breast lumps, fibroadenoma, piles, fissure, fistula in ano and many other procedures under local anesthesia. You may discuss your choice for anesthesia with me if you wish to avoid spinal or general anesthesia for your operation.

Out patient surgery: In out patient surgery the patient usually has minor surgical ailment. The patient is worked up in the OPD and operated in the minor OT under local/regional anesthesia, and sent back home immediately or within half an hour. We perform nail excisions, skin biopsy, lipoma excisions, incision & drainage for abscess, tumor biopsy, core needle biopsy, trucut biopsy, ureteric stent removal, cystoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, mole excision, wart excision/ cauterization, ear lobule repair, fibroadenoma excision, breast lump excision, surgery for inverted nipple etc as outpatient surgery. 

Fast track protocols: In the modern day surgical practice, there is an established belief in ambulation of the surgical patients at the earliest. We are sending the operated patient home as soon as the critical period or immediate post-operative nursing needs have been met with. We follow fast track protocols where ever feasible and considered safe for our patient. We send patients home by fifth post operative day even after major surgeries.