8. Criteria for home discharge and home follow-up

Outpatient or short-stay plastic surgery patients should observe home discharge criteria that have been established for other types of surgery. These basic criteria establish the home discharge of patients in a safe manner and avoid readmissions due to complications.


Table 11. Criteria for home discharge.

Uncontrolled pain, nausea, vomiting, and urinary retention are examples of frequent readmission to the surgical unit or hospital. In some patients it is not necessary to meet 100% of these discharge criteria, but they should be warned of the natural evolution of the gradual disappearance of the side effects of anesthesia and facilitate telephone communication with the surgical unit, the surgeon, and the anesthesiologist. They require appropriate postanesthetic and postsurgical indications, transportation, and occasional professional company. Each ambulatory surgery unit/hospital must have its own discharge criteria, in accordance with the published guidelines and with its own characteristics and needs of their patients: from simple scales to more elaborate procedures such as the new Postoperative Quality Recovery Scale (PQRS) assessment that evaluates six areas: physiological, nociceptive, emotional, daily activities, cognition, and general patient perspective [79]. Table 11 shows the usual discharge home criteria. The proper information on the patient evolution at the recovery house or patient home favors the prevention and the opportune diagnosis of complications [80].
