EPD201 - Swift and Safe: National Data Shows Same-Day Colectomy Lowers Risks Across Hospitals

Monday, May 11, 2026

8:10 AM - 8:15 AM ET

ePoster of Distinction Presenter(s)

Tamara V. Damrel, MD

General Surgery Resident
Memorial Healthcare System
MIRAMAR, FL, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose

Author(s)

MV

Maria Vashchenko, MD

General Surgery Resident
Memorial Healthcare System
Memorial Healthcare System
Hollywood, FL, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose
Juliana L. Colvin, MD

Resident
Memorial Healthcare System
Cooper City, FL, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
RH

Rainya Heath, Medical Doctor

General Surgery Resident
Memorial Healthcare System
Hollywood, Florida, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
HB

Himani Bhatt, MD

Resident
Memorial Healthcare System
Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Betsy Rodriguez, DO (she/her/hers)

General Surgery Resident
Memorial Hospital System
Memorial Hospital System
Miami, FL, United States

All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose

Senior Author(s)

JP

Joshua P. Parreco, n/a

Trauma Surgeon
Memorial Regional Hospital
Hollywood, Florida, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Purpose/Background: Same-day discharge following laparoscopic colectomy is becoming increasingly more common, however, it raises concerns about potential risks of readmission, including to different hospitals, surgical site infection (SSI), and venous thromboembolism (VTE). This study compares outcomes between same-day discharge and short-stay (length of stay (LOS) 1-2 days) patients.

Methods/Interventions: A retrospective analysis was conducted on adult patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colectomy in the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) from 2016 to 2022. Patients were stratified by LOS=0 days versus LOS=1-2 days. Propensity score matching (1:1) balanced groups by demographics, insurance status, hospital characteristics, and Elixhauser comorbidities. Primary outcome was readmission within 30 days (overall and to different hospitals); secondary outcomes were SSI and VTE during index or readmission.

Results/Outcomes: Of 41,090 patients (LOS=0: 1,677 [4.1%]; LOS=1-2: 39,413 [95.9%]), those with LOS=0 were younger ( < 40 years: 20.5% vs. 11.0%; p< 0.01), more likely privately insured (52.7% vs. 46.2%; p< 0.01), and had lower comorbidity rates including deficiency anemias (2.7% vs. 11.1%), metastatic cancer (1.6% vs. 7.4%), and uncomplicated diabetes (7.2% vs. 12.2%; all p< 0.01). After propensity matching (n=3,354; 1,677 per group), groups were balanced. Before matching, LOS=0 was associated with lower readmission (3.3% vs. 5.9%; OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.41-0.71; p< 0.01), with no significant differences in readmission to different hospitals (0.5% vs. 0.7%; OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.32-1.29; p=0.21), SSI (0.2% vs. 0.4%; OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.23-1.65; p=0.32), or VTE (0.2% vs. 0.3%; OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.18-1.82; p=0.34). After matching, LOS=0 remained associated with lower readmission (3.3% vs. 8.9%; OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.25-0.47; p< 0.01) and lower readmission to different hospitals (0.5% vs. 1.9%; OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.12-0.56; p< 0.01), with no significant differences in SSI (0.2% vs. 0.1%; OR 2.00, 95% CI 0.37-10.95; p=0.41) or VTE (0.2% vs. 0.1%; OR 3.00, 95% CI 0.31-28.91; p=0.32).

Conclusion/Discussion: The ability to track outcomes across hospitals underscores that readmissions, including to different facilities, occur infrequently after short-stay laparoscopic colectomy. Same-day discharge is associated with reduced readmission rates before and after matching, without increased risks of SSI or VTE, suggesting it may be safe for selected patients. These findings support risk-stratified same-day discharge protocols to optimize resource utilization in elective colorectal surgery.