Safety and feasibility of same-day myomectomy discharge in a community healthcare system
Myomectomy, a surgical procedure to remove uterine fibroids, traditionally requires an overnight hospital stay for postoperative monitoring of potential complications. However, there is growing interest in exploring the safety and feasibility of same-day discharge following myomectomy to reduce healthcare costs and improve patient satisfaction. This is a retrospective case series of all patients who received a myomectomy from March 2018 to December 2023. We included both open and minimally invasive approaches and studied several outcomes to determine safety and feasibility. Our primary outcomes that were studied were related to common complications following a myomectomy: blood transfusion, readmission, and/or reoperation. We identified a total number of 298 cases, 187 of which had a LOS > 0 day, and 111 cases were same-day discharge after myomectomy. The data from this study support the safety and feasibility of same-day discharge following a myomectomy, particularly in patients undergoing minimally invasive approaches. It also highlights the significant cost differences between open and minimally invasive myomectomies on the healthcare system. Implementation of standardized discharge criteria and patient education protocols is essential for optimizing outcomes and ensuring patient safety.