title: Early discharge after abdominal surgery: experience on a gynecologic oncology service.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goals of this study were to determine the length of stay (LOS) after abdominal surgery following implementation of practice guidelines on a gynecologic oncology service, to identify adverse outcomes of early discharge, and to identify clinical predictors of longer LOS.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review of 266 consecutive patients who had elective abdominal surgery was performed. Clinical data, LOS, and follow-up data were abstracted. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify clinical variables predictive of LOS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean LOS was 2.94 days. Seven (2.6%) patients were readmitted after discharge. With multivariate analysis, extensive surgical procedures, coronary artery disease, and bowel surgery were predictive of longer LOS (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early discharge following abdominal surgery was possible for most patients and was associated with a low rate of readmission. Extensive surgical procedures, coronary artery disease, and bowel surgery were predictive of longer LOS.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Rardin
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Weisman
authors.forename: Y B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Niloff
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors