Abstract
Day case Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction has recently become accepted as a safe and reliable technique. One major advantage of day case procedures is the reduction of cancellations due to bed availability leading to a more predictable admission for the patient. Traditionally this advantage has not always been available to service personnel due to the combined problems of distance from the hospital and lack of a suitable and safe environment for discharge. These problems can be overcome by the close cooperation with the local Medical Reception Station.
During 2000 a total of 29 day case ACL reconstructions were performed. There were no cancellations for non-clinical reasons. Of these 29, 12 were performed on service personnel of whom 8 were based at a significant distance from the hospital. A total of 6 patients were treated via the Medical Reception Station (MRS) for overnight stay after the operation. There were no significant complications at the MRS and all patients have returned to normal duty. There were no postoperative complications in this group of patients.
We suggest that the advantages of day surgery can be extended to servicemen by the use of the MRS as a temporary accommodation. This should prevent soldiers operations from being cancelled and reduce time away from operational units. This practice could be extended to all aspects of surgery suitable for day case procedures.
The abstracts were prepared by Wing Commander T. P. S. Bhullar. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit, Edith Cavell Hospital, Bretton Gate, Peterborough PE3 9GZ.
