Early discharge after abdominal surgery: experience on a gynecologic oncology service.
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.
Rardin
C R
CR
Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA.
Weisman
C J
CJ
Kim
Y B
YB
Niloff
J M
JM
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