Perioperative Morbidity Associated with Same-day Discharge in Elderly Patients

Introduction and hypothesis: We compared postoperative complications in elderly patients discharged on POD#0 versus POD#1 after prolapse repair. Methods: Data were obtained from the National Surgical Quality Improvement database. A total of 20,984 women 65 years and older who underwent prolapse repair between 2014 and 2020 were analyzed. Patient demographics, comorbidities, readmission, reoperation, and 30-day postoperative complications were compared in patients discharged on POD#0 versus POD#1. A sensitivity analysis was completed to examine outcomes in patients who underwent an apical prolapse repair. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate for potential confounders. Results: Age, race, ethnicity, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, prolapse repair type, and operative time were significantly different in patients discharged on POD#0 vs POD#1 (all p < 0.01). Patients discharged on POD#0 had significantly fewer postoperative complications (2.63% vs 3.44%) and readmissions (1.56% vs 2.18%, all p < 0.01). On multivariate regression modeling, postoperative discharge day was independently associated with complications, but not with readmissions or reoperation after. Patients who underwent an apical prolapse repair and were discharged on POD#0 had significantly more postoperative complications (3.5% vs 2.5%, p = 0.02) and readmissions (2.42% vs 10.08%, p < 0.01) than those discharged on POD#1. In this group, multivariate regression modeling demonstrated that postoperative discharge day was independently associated with any postoperative complication. Conclusions: For elderly women undergoing prolapse repair, the type of surgery should be considered when determining postoperative admission versus same-day discharge. Admission overnight does not seem to benefit women undergoing vaginal repairs but may decrease overall morbidity and risk of readmission in women undergoing an apical prolapse repair.