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Specialties |
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Same-Day Surgery |
Central Maine Medical Center established a Same-Day Surgery
Unit in 1975, as part of the Surgical Services Department.
The unit was created to handle surgical cases that do not
require an overnight stay at the Medical Center.
When the unit opened, the caseload was comprised of cases
that took less than an hour to complete. Today, same-day surgery
cases vary widely in complexity and include all surgical specialties.
More than half of all surgical procedures done each year at
CMMC are same-day surgery cases.
Whether a patient has same-day surgery or is admitted for
an overnight stay depends on a number of factors, the most
important being the type of surgery required and the general
health of the patient. Not long ago, a patient having their
gallbladder removed required an inpatient stay. Most gallbladders
are now removed with a small scope through tiny incisions
and the patient frequently goes home the same day.
If a patient, with the counsel of his physician, decides
to have same-day surgery, the doctor arranges a date when
the procedure can be done. A week to 10 days before the operation
is scheduled, the patient is asked to visit the Pre-Admission
Testing Unit for any necessary tests and for interviews with
anesthesia and a same-day surgery nurse. On the day of the
operation, the patient reports to the Same-Day Surgery Unit.
Once in the Same-Day Surgery Unit, the patient is prepared
for surgery much like a conventional surgical patient, and
is then transferred to the Surgical Services Department for
their procedure. After surgery, the patient is moved to the
Post-Anesthesia Care Unit and then back to the Same-Day Surgery
Unit, or directly to Same-Day Surgery, for discharge later
the same day.
To make this rapid discharge process work effectively, the
same-day surgery nurses help patients plan how to get safely
home and prepare for any post-operative nursing needs. The
nurses also educate patients about what to expect once they
get home, from both physical and emotional perspectives.
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