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The following is a summary of “Safety and feasibility of same-day discharge for the management of patients undergoing pulmonary lobectomy,” published in the January 2024 issue of Pulmonology by Zheng et al.

This study aims to evaluate the safety and feasibility of implementing same-day discharge for patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy, investigating its potential as a viable postoperative management option.

A prospective cohort study was conducted from January to December 2022, involving patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy. Eligible patients were divided into two groups: those discharged on the same day as surgery (SDDL group) and those with traditional inpatient stays (InpL group), with all patients receiving 30-day postoperative follow-up. Additionally, patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy from January to December 2021 were included in the historical comparison group (HisL group).

Out of 52 eligible patients, 17 were discharged within 24 hours post-surgery in the SDDL group. Only one patient (5.9%) required emergency readmission within 30 days due to a pulmonary infection. No complications such as reoperation, air leakage, atelectasis, chylothorax, or blood transfusion events were reported during the follow-up period in the SDDL group. Overall, postoperative complication rates did not differ significantly between the SDDL and InpL groups (P>0.05), although there was a slightly higher rate of readmission and emergency visits in the SDDL group compared to the other two groups (P>0.05).

The findings of this study underscore the safety and feasibility of implementing same-day discharge for patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy. This approach has the potential to redefine the conventional postoperative care model for thoracoscopic lobectomy patients, offering a promising alternative to traditional inpatient stays.

 Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2531043723002398