Patient functional recovery after a 23-h surgery — a prospective, follow-up study

PURPOSE: We evaluated patients’ functional outcomes 2 weeks after a 23-h surgery model in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: This prospective study comprised data on 993 consecutive adult patients who underwent a 23-h surgery. Patients were interviewed before surgery and at 14 days after surgery by telephone with a multidimensional structural survey including closed- and open-ended questions. Regarding functional outcomes, the patients were asked to assess their general wellbeing, energy levels and activities of daily living on a 5-point numeric rating scale (1 = poor to 5 = excellent). Data on patient characteristics, medical history, alcohol use, smoking status and pre-, peri- and postoperative pain and satisfaction with the care received were collected and analysed to determine whether these factors contributed to their recovery. The primary outcome measure was patient functional recovery at 14 days after surgery. RESULTS: Most patients reported moderate to excellent functional outcomes: 93.6% (95% CI, 92.1–-95.1) of the patients showed a score ≥ 3 on the 5-point numeric scale. One out of four patients (23%) scored all three domains as excellent. A weak inverse correlation was noted between functional recovery and most pain in the 23-h postanaesthesia care unit as well as pain at 2 weeks after surgery. A weak positive correlation was noted between functional recovery and patient satisfaction with the instructions at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients showed ample functional recovery at 14 days after the 23-h surgery. Higher pain scores in the postanaesthesia care unit and 2 weeks after surgery predicted poor functional outcomes, and satisfaction with postoperative counselling predicted better outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04142203.