title: Early discharge following abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: Impact on patients and caregivers.
abstract: Although early discharge is common place, little is known about its impact after abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery. We sought to prospectively describe patient outcomes and caregiving experience after early discharge following elective AAA repair using a standard or endovascular grafting system (EGS) procedure. Fifty-one patients (Standard, n=25; EGS, n=26) completed questionnaires on symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) while hospitalized and 1, 4, and 8 weeks after discharge. Data were also obtained from caregivers. HRQoL decreased at Week 1 in both groups but returned to near baseline by Week 8. Standard AAA patients experienced more symptoms and activity limitations, but these were concentrated in Week 1. Most caregivers were positive about caregiving and required no additional resources. Findings suggest that most patients who undergo early discharge following elective AAA surgery experience few problems. Those problems that occur concentrate in the week following discharge, suggesting the need for closer monitoring at this time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Acute/Tertiary Care, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Mildred A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Leslie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Michel S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Makaroun
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Zullo
authors.forename: Lakshmipathi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chelluri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D017028:Caregivers; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome