[Ambulatory and day surgery]

Abstract

Ambulatory surgical care is intended to save healthcare expenditure from the economical viewpoint. From the patients point of view significant advantages as well as specific disadvantages of ambulatory surgery are known. The increase in the volume and complexity of procedures provided in an ambulatory setting are driven by improvements in anesthesia and surgical technique as well as by changes in financing and reimbursement. Therefore careful quality control and scientific evidence for the safety of increasingly used complex surgical procedures for higher risk patients is essential. Reducing the surgical trauma by minimally invasive surgical techniques and very good controllability by modern anesthesia concepts is making the management of the postoperative period crucial for successful ambulatory surgery. Most of the complications and common problems during the postoperative period, such as pain, nausea and vomiting, are not specific for ambulatory surgery, but management places an increasing burden of responsibility not only on general and specialised physicians, but also on other health professionals, patients, and family members.