Research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons examined the safety of outpatient shoulder surgery performed at ASCs for patients aged 65 and older.
Researchers reviewed 640 cases from patients who underwent shoulder arthroscopy, primary and revision rotator cuff repair and subacromial decompression surgery among others between 2000 and 2015 at a freestanding ASC by two hand and upper extremity surgeons, recording the incidence of major complications including acute infections, postoperative transfer to a hospital, wrong-site surgical procedures and more.
Here are the key research insights to know:
1. The reported adverse event rate was 1.01 percent.
2. One patient had a major infection that required intravenous antibiotics, three patients had postoperative collection formation and two patients required postoperative transfer to the hospital.
3. "Our results demonstrate that outpatient shoulder surgery performed at an ASC in a population older than 65 years is safe. A total of 93.8 percent of Medicare-age patients had their procedures performed at the ASC rather than as an outpatient procedure at the local hospital. Our adverse event rate of 1.09 percent is consistent with existing data," researchers concluded.
Click here to read the full study.