Outpatient orthopedic surgery: a retrospective study of 1996 patients.

Outpatient surgical procedures performed at the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université Laval on 1996 patients (1091 men, 905 women) were studied retrospectively. Lower-limb surgery accounted for 66.5% of the procedures. The mean age of the 1996 patients was 40.7 years. General anesthesia was used in 91.5% of the cases. After surgery, the patients were discharged according to the criteria described by Wetchler and Kortilla. The unanticipated hospital admission rate was 6.3% and the complication rate was 1.3% with no life-threatening conditions. Proper selection and preparation of the patient and strict criteria for safe discharge after day surgery are mandatory for the patient's safety and satisfaction.