Profile of half-day arthroscopic surgery in a district general hospital.

The first 50 patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery as a half-day procedure in Doncaster Royal Infirmary were studied: 22 patients underwent an arthroscopic meniscectomy and 6 patients had other procedures. The mean return-to-work time for meniscectomy patients was 23.9 days. The cost improvement per patient, when compared with a two-night stay in hospital, was pounds 432.84 per patient. Not only is this a comparatively comfortable operation for the patient, but a rapid return to work is possible. The saving to the Department of Health and Social Security, when assessed on a national scale, could be very considerable.