Outcome of ASA III patients undergoing day case surgery

Background. Day case surgery is becoming more acceptable, even for patients with complex medical conditions. Current recommendations suggest that patients who are graded as American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status (ASA) III may be suitable for this approach. There is only a small amount of published data available to support this. We present a retrospective review of ASA III patients who had undergone day surgical procedures in our unit. Methods. We carried out a retrospective case controlled review of 896 ASA III patients who had undergone day case procedures between January 1998 and June 2002 using the existing computerized patient information system. The system records admission rates, unplanned contact with healthcare services and post-operative complications in the first 24 h after discharge. Results. We demonstrated no significant differences in unplanned admission rates, unplanned contact with health care services, or post-operative complications in the first 24 h after discharge between ASA III and ASA I or II patients. Conclusion. With good pre-assessment and adequate preparation ASA III patients can be treated safely in the day surgery setting.