Overnight to Outpatient: A Single Institution's Experience With Mastectomy and Reconstruction Before and After the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: Minimizing resource use while optimizing patient outcomes has become an ever-growing component in modern healthcare, especially in the era of COVID-19. One essential component of this is deciding whether patients need hospital admission following elective procedures. The aim of this study is to investigate operative factors and patient outcomes when mastectomies with or without reconstruction are performed as ambulatory procedures versus planned inpatient admissions.

Methods: Patient charts for those undergoing mastectomy with or without reconstruction were retrospectively analyzed ranging from March 2019 until February 2021. Factors such as demographic information, operative type, operating room time, cancer stage, total stay time in the medical environment, and postoperative complications were assessed and compared between the 2 groups.

Results: A total of 89 patient charts were reviewed, 46 from before the COVID-19 pandemic and 43 from after the start of the pandemic. No differences were observed in demographic factors between the 2 groups. After surgical cases resumed a significant proportion, 79%, of mastectomies with or without reconstruction were performed in the ambulatory center, versus just 2% pre-COVID-19. Similarly, of all of these cases performed, only 19% resulted in hospital admission versus the previous rate of 100% (P < 0.00001). Together, these changes resulted in a significant reduction in length of stay of 39.77 ± 19.2 hours pre-COVID-19 versus 14.81 ± 18.4 hours afterward (P < 0.00001). Unfortunately, a higher number of patients who received surgery after the start of the pandemic elected to forego immediate reconstruction 49% versus 72% (P = 0.032). Most importantly, there were no observable differences found in 7-day readmission, reoperation, or emergency department visit between groups. There was also no difference in 30-day complication rate between groups.

Conclusions: Mastectomy with or without reconstruction can be safely performed in the ambulatory setting without additional risk of complications or negative patient factors. This divergence from traditional the protocol of inpatient overnight admission may contribute positively toward patient comfort, minimize the use of healthcare costs and resources, and allow for increased scheduling flexibility for patient and provider alike.