Ambulatory surgery in a navy fleet hospital training set.

A series of 51 active duty patients who elected to undergo ambulatory surgery in a Navy Fleet Hospital Training Set (a modified field hospital) over a 2-year period were followed prospectively for perioperative complications. All patients were active duty personnel, ranging in grade from E1 to O5, who voluntarily gave specific informed consent to have their surgery performed in the training set. Patients were offered surgery in the training set only if attending surgeons were confident that the surgery could be done safely and with the same expected outcome as if performed in the hospital. Their entire surgical experience was contained within this tent-based field facility from admission to discharge. There were 12 orthopedic surgery, 4 general surgery, 3 otolaryngology, 2 urology, 1 ophthalmology, and 29 oral and maxillofacial surgery cases. General, regional, or local anesthesia or intravenous conscious sedation were used as indicated. No patients developed wound infections, and there were no anesthetic, bleeding, or other significant perioperative complications. Selected ambulatory surgical procedures can be safely performed on appropriate patients in this field hospital assemblage.