Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Establishing a day case lumbar microdiscectomy service at a University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland
Authors' conclusion
The study concludes that DLM is a viable, safe, and cost-effective option for selected patients, with potential savings of €1660 per patient compared to traditional inpatient procedures.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing day case lumbar microdiscectomy at an Irish university hospital
- Participants
- 26 patients
- Outcome
- Feasibility and safety: same-day discharge rates, readmission rates and patient satisfaction vs international data
Methodological detailssingle-centre, Standardised intraoperative protocols, multimodal analgesia and strict patient selection were key success factors; take-home analgesia protocol adherence was challenging
- Single-centre
- Standardised intraoperative protocols, multimodal analgesia and strict patient selection were key success factors; take-home analgesia protocol adherence was challenging
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Same-day discharge
Successfully discharged on the same day, of 26 patients who underwent surgery
24
92.3%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Patient satisfaction
- High patient satisfaction; outcomes similar to those reported internationally
Cost
- Potential savings per patient vs traditional inpatient procedures
- €1660
Safety
- Patients requiring readmission within six weeks postoperatively
- 0
Original publication
Establishing a day case lumbar microdiscectomy service at a University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. Perioper Med (Lond). Published 23 January 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →