Same-day discharge OK for minimally invasive myomectomy

(HealthDay)—Discharging patients on the same day following a minimally invasive myomectomy appears to be a safe option, according to research published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Katie Alton, M.D., of Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, and colleagues examined the feasibility and safety of same-day discharge in a retrospective case series of 403 patients who underwent minimally invasive myomectomy.

The researchers found that following minimally invasive myomectomy, 356 patients (88 percent) were discharged to home the same day. Within 48 hours, two patients (0.6 percent) were readmitted, both for postoperative fever, and seven patients (2 percent) visited the emergency department, typically for pain or urinary retention. None of the patients made urgent care visits. No patients were readmitted for life-threatening events or reoperation. A total of five patients (1.4 percent) were readmitted within three months.

"Same-day discharge after minimally invasive myomectomy was found to have a low readmission rate and low health care utilization in the immediate postoperative period," the authors write. "Same-day discharge appears to be a safe option for healthy patients after undergoing an uncomplicated minimally invasive myomectomy."