Same-Day Discharge Safe for Minimally Invasive Myomectomy

Discharging women on the same day of undergoing minimally invasive myomectomy appears to be a safe option, according to a new study.

Researchers at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (Oakland, USA) conducted a retrospective case series involving 403 women who underwent minimally invasive myomectomy and were discharged the same day in order to estimate readmission rates. The chart review was performed for outcomes of interest, including emergency department (ED) and urgent clinic visits within 48 hours, at seven days, and up to three months later, along with surgical and demographic characteristics.

The results showed that 88% of the patients were discharged to home the same day. Within 48 hours, just two patients (0.6%) were readmitted, both for postoperative fever, while seven patients (2%) visited the ED for pain or urinary retention; none of the patients made urgent care visits, and no patients were readmitted for life-threatening events or reoperation. A total of five patients (1.4%) were readmitted within three months. The study was published in the March 2016 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

“Same-day discharge after minimally invasive myomectomy was found to have a low readmission rate and low health care utilization in the immediate postoperative period,” concluded lead author Katie Alton, MD, and colleagues. “Same-day discharge appears to be a safe option for healthy patients after undergoing an uncomplicated minimally invasive myomectomy.”

Myomectomy is a surgical procedure to remove uterine fibroids (leiomyomas), common noncancerous growths that appear in the uterus usually during childbearing years. Unlike a hysterectomy, which removes the entire uterus, myomectomy removes only the fibroids and leaves the uterus intact. Women who undergo myomectomy report improvement in fibroid symptoms, including heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pressure.

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Kaiser Permanente Northern California