What is day care surgery?
Day care surgery is surgical care that requires only one day admission in the hospital (24hrs). Ambulatory surgery means you are not admitted in the hospital and hence no overnight stay – you go home as soon as the surgery and recovery is over the same day.

Day care surgery has become increasingly popular all over the world for many reasons. Thanks to advances in technology, surgeons can now perform minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures instead of the previous invasive surgery. Newer drugs used for anesthesia allow patients to recover consciousness very quickly, so that they can go home soon after the surgery is over. And lastly, since modern painkillers are more powerful, patients experience much less pain after the operation and they can successfully relieve the pain themselves by taking these medications at home.

Day care surgery

• Delivers the same high quality care as that given to hospital patients.
• Is actually safer than hospitalized surgery.
• Day care surgery is economical as well. (On an average, research conducted in the USA has shown that procedures at day care surgery centers cost 50 per cent less than those at hospitals).
• Patients recover faster in the home than in an inconvenient atmosphere of a hospital.
• Less inconvenience to relatives in the Indian setting.
• Lesser nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections.

SOME SURGERIES THAT CAN BE DONE AS DAYCARE / AMBULATORY SURGERY

• SKIN AND SOFT TISSUE LESIONS/ GROWTHS
• BREAST LUMPS
• STAPLER HEMORRHOIDOPEXY
• LAS for FISSURES
• INGUINAL HERNIA IN ADULTS AND CHILDREN
• HYDROCELE
• MALE STERILIZATION
• EAR LOBE REPAIRS
• SMALL EPIGASTRIC HERNIAS
• DIAGNOSTIC LAPAROSCOPY
• TRENDLENBERG OPERATION for VARICOSE VEINS
• LAPAROSCOPIC VARICOCELE VEIN CLIPPING
• LAPAROSCOPIC FEMALE STERILIZATION
• CLEFT-LIP REPAIR

SOME GUIDELINES FOR THOSE UNDERGOING DAYCARE SURGERY

• Make sure you have got all your pre-op investigations done and also checked by the surgeon at least a day prior to the surgery.
• Confirm the time and location of your surgery in writing by the surgeon.
• Ask for the DAYCARE SURGERY PATIENT INFORMATION SHEET prior to the surgery.
• Confirm the area to be shaved and prepared for the surgery.
• See if you have to take any enema previous night.
• Mention beforehand any allergies you have had in the past.
• Meet the Surgical Nurse at the appointed time and place and show her all the records.
• Do not forget to get one change of easy ‘wear and remove’ dress when you are taken into the OT.
• Void urine before going to the OT.
• Do not leave the OT premises/ recovery room before the surgeon has signed your discharge and given you instructions.
• Find out the warning signals you have to look out for before contacting the surgeon.
• See that you have at least one person accompanying you to the hospital and drive you back home. It is preferable to have someone with you for a day at home.
• You should be clear of what was surgeon’s recommendation of the mode of your travel back home if you are from a distant place. Some modes of travel are harmful for when you are recovering from surgery.
• Join duty only after you have been declared safe by the surgeon who has operated you.