EP271 - A Review of Same Day Discharge from Elective Minimally Invasive Colon Resection

ePoster Presenter(s)

• 

  Philip Meyer, MD

  General Surgery Resident
  Hackensack University Medical Center
  Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center
  Hackensack, NJ, United States

  Disclosure information not submitted.

Author(s)

• AD

  Angelica R. Del Vecchio, PhD

  Medical Research Associate
  Hackensack University Medical Center
  Hackensack, New Jersey, United States

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• OH

  Owen Han, BS

  Medical Student
  Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
  Nutley, New Jersey, United States

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• YP

  Yash V. Patel, BA

  Medical Student
  Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
  Edison, New Jersey, United States

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• ZN

  Zohal Najem, BA

  Medical student
  Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
  Bordentown, New Jersey, United States

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• MB

  Matthew R. Brennan, BS

  Medical Student
  Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
  Bridgewater, New Jersey, United States

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• HR

  Howard M. Ross, MD

  Chair/ Surgeon-in-Chief
  Hackensack University Medical Center
  Hackensack, New Jersey, United States

  Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

• SL

  Steven Lee-Kong, MD

  Professor of Surgery , Division Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery
  Hackensack University Medical Center
  Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
  FORT LEE BORO, NJ, United States

  Disclosure information not submitted.

Purpose/Background: Same-day discharge (SDD) following minimally invasive colectomy has emerged as a safe and feasible strategy for selected patients to reduce healthcare costs and improve patient experience. Despite these findings, concerns and hesitancy still persist regarding SDD, leading to a lack of center-specific data on outcomes following SDD. In order to develop and implement more standardized SDD protocols at the institutional level, it is essential to review SDD patients to identify predictors of success. Thus, we present a case series of patients discharged on the same day following minimally invasive partial colectomy at Hackensack University Medical Center. We aimed to evaluate patient factors such as comorbidities and surgical outcomes among patients undergoing minimally invasive colectomy.

Methods/Interventions: We examined charts of 1045 patients who underwent colon resection at Hackensack University Medical Center from January 2020-August 2025. 9 total patients experienced SDD (discharged on the same day as procedure). We then performed a chart review focusing on comorbidities and outcomes of these 9 patients. Numerical results are reported as average (range).

Results/Outcomes: The 9 SDD patients (4 male, 5 female) were 63 years old (48-84 yrs), had a BMI of 27.4 kg/m2 (21.5-42.6 kg/m2). American Society of Anesthesia Classification/risk score ranged from 2-4. The average number of comorbidities was 4.6 (1-11). The most common comorbidities were hyperlipidemia (n=5), hypertension (n=4), diabetes mellitus (n=3), and anemia (n=3). All cases were elective robot-assisted colectomies (7 right sided, 2 left sided). 3 of the colectomies were for invasive adenocarcinoma. There were no incidences of unplanned return to the operating room or 30-day readmission in any patient. There were no post-operative complications. One patient did not complete their 30-day follow-up. All patients were discharged to home and classified as functionally independent.

Conclusion/Discussion: This case series supports the safety and feasibility of same-day discharge following minimally invasive colorectal surgery in appropriately selected patients. Across all cases, there were no significant postoperative complications or readmissions. These findings align with growing evidence that enhanced recovery protocols, careful patient selection, and structured follow-up enable safe early discharge without compromising outcomes. By reducing hospital stay, this approach can also decrease healthcare costs and resource utilization. We recommend continued evaluation of same day discharge to develop a more standardized SDD protocol on an institutional level.

Table 1. Characteristics of patients discharged on the same day of colectomy.
BMI (Body Mass Index), ASA (American Society of Anesthesia), AFib (Atrial Fibrillation), CVA (Cerebrovascular Accident), DM (Diabetes Mellitus), HTN (Hypertension), COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), HLD (Hyperlipidemia), DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis), PONV (Post operative nausea and vomiting), GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)