Iva Botica
Introduction
Septoplasty is a procedure to correct deformities of the nasal septum, usually performed in inpatient part of ENT departments. The Croatian Health Insurance Fund has approved in 2018 that this procedure can be performed on an ambulatory surgery. In this article, we would like to present our five years of experience.
Method
In collaboration with our anesthesiologists, we’ve developed a protocol to determine which patients can be operated as outpatients. After the outbreak of COVID-19, only patients with a negative PCR test could be operated on. We only had operating room available one day a week for operations under general anaesthesia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the operating room were closed for all elective procedures for more than six months.
Results
In the period from January 2019 to December 2023, we performed 172 septoplasties on an outpatient basis. We had no complication that required prolonged observation. All patients were discharged home 6-8 hours after the operation. During the same period, septoplasties were performed on 699 patients in the inpatient part of our department. The total length of hospitalisation was 1726 days, an average of 2.46 days per patient. In terms of cost-effectiveness, outpatient surgery is 16% more effective than inpatient surgery.
Conclusion
In five years of work, we have shown that septoplasty is a safe procedure that can be performed on an outpatient surgery, provided that a high-quality examination and screening of the patient is carried out. Patients can be discharged the same day and it is less expensive.
Authors
Matea Veršić
General Hospital Zadar, Zadar, Croatia
Iva Botica
University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia