Comparison of safety and generalizability between day surgery and traditional surgey for cataract

Abstract

Objective To explore if the day surgery for cataract is safe and should be popularized. Methods From September to October in 2015, among the patients who received the ultrasonic phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation in the cataract department of Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, according to the admission time, one hundred and three patients were chosen respectively from the day ward (the experimental group) and the traditional ward (the control group) based on the purposive sampling. The average time of waiting for admission, the falls events before admission, the awareness about postoperative considerations, the postoperative complications and the infection rate between the two groups were compared. Results The average time of waiting for admission in the experimental group was much shorter than that in the control group, (6.36±4.02) days vs. (21.35±18.58) days. The difference was significant (Z= -8.386, P<0.01). The rate of falls before admission in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group and the difference was significant, 9.71%(10/103) vs. 20.39% (21/103), χ2=4.595, P <0.05. No infection happened in both groups. Conclusions The day surgery model doesn′t increase the risk and is as safe as the traditional surgery model. It should be extended as it also has the advantages of shorter hospital stay, less medical resource consumption and less hospitalization expenses, besides, it saves time and labor. What′s more, the mean waiting time for hospitalization for day surgery is shorter. It means the patients can receive the operation as soon as possible, which ensures the patients′ safety, and reduce the unsafe factor in their life, bring the benefit to the society. Key words: Cataract; Complications; Day surgery