Proactive Nursing Care is the Key to Successful Day Case Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy at a Rural Hospital

Aim: Day case laparoscopic cholecystectomy is achievable but in most hospitals it is not routine. We describe our experience with day case laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a rural Queensland hospital.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of consecutive adult patients with uncomplicated cholelithiasis who underwent day case laparoscopic cholecystectomy by the one surgeon.

Results: 75% of patients were women with a mean age of 38 years and ASA class 2. The nurse in Post Anaesthesia Care Unit was pivotal in enabling 48 out of 51 patients to be discharged home on the day of surgery. All operations were performed by the one surgeon. Anaesthesia was not protocoled.

Conclusion: While good patient selection, optimized anaesthesia and sound surgical techniques are recognised as prerequisites for day case surgery, the role of the nurse in the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit is pivotal.