Same day discharge after hepatectomy: Can it be done safely?

Background: With the advent of minimally invasive techniques and enhanced recovery pathways, outpatient surgery is becoming increasingly common, but has not yet been extensively described in liver surgery. The aim of the present study was to analyze the incidence, characteristics, and outcomes of patients undergoing outpatient hepatectomy in the US.

Methods: We utilized the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database for patients who underwent laparoscopic or robotic, elective hepatectomy from 2014 to 2021. Patients discharged on postoperative day 0 were assigned to the "same-day discharge" group, otherwise the patient was considered "admitted." Postoperative outcomes were compared with propensity-matched analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors of postoperative LOS (length of stay).

Results: We identified 7279 patients, of which 361 were in the same-day discharge cohort and 6918 were in the admitted cohort. For admitted patients, median postoperative length of stay was three days (SD = 6). Same-day discharge patients tended to be younger (age 59 vs. 62, p = .034) and more often ASA class ≤2 (49% vs. 29%, p < .001). Comorbidities such as hypertension (40% vs. 45%, p = .048) and diabetes (12% vs. 19%, p = .002) were less common in the same-day discharge cohort. On propensity-matched comparison, there was no significant difference in 30-day mortality (p > .9), 30-day readmission (p = .2), and overall postoperative complication rate (p = .2). Predictors of longer postoperative LOS included longer operative time, inpatient hospital status, preoperative transfusion, dependent functional status, and use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Conclusion: Our results indicate that for low-risk patients and uncomplicated cases, same-day discharge after minimally invasive, elective hepatectomy is feasible without compromising patient safety and outcomes.