Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) discharge: equally safe and more cost-effective than floor admission for uncomplicated laparoscopic appendectomy
Authors' conclusion
Direct discharge from the PACU following uncomplicated laparoscopic appendectomy is both safe and cost-effective compared to floor admission.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with uncomplicated appendicitis undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy, January 2021–December 2023
- Participants
- 203 adults
- Exposure
- Direct PACU discharge vs floor admission
- PACUn = 103
- Floorn = 100reference
- Outcome
- 30-day readmission, reoperation and postoperative complications
- Follow-up
- 30 days
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
30-day readmission, reoperation, complications
- No significant differences in 30-day readmission, reoperation or complications between groups
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
Hospital stay · significantly shorter with PACU discharge
P < 0.001
Average $
| Outcome | PACU | Floor |
|---|---|---|
| Costs (charges) | 27,739 | 31,593 |
Costs (charges)
- Lower costs with PACU discharge, primarily due to reduced labor costs
Demographics
- PACU patients younger with fewer comorbidities than floor patients
Original publication
PACU discharge: equally safe and more cost-effective than floor admission for uncomplicated laparoscopic appendectomy. Perioper Med (Lond). Published 5 March 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →