Type of publication:
Journal article
Author(s):
Monaghan, Michael; Gray, William K; *Cheetham, Mark; Dent, Paul; Briggs, Tim W R; Lansdown, Mark.
Citation:
British Journal of Surgery. 113(2), 2026 Feb 11.
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Day case elective surgery is becoming increasingly common across a range of procedures. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of day case thyroid lobectomy, a procedure with low uptake in the UK.
METHODS: This study analysed the Hospital Episode Statistics administrative data set for all first-time elective thyroid lobectomies performed on adults in England from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2024. The primary outcome was 30-day emergency readmission and secondary outcomes were 30-day emergency readmission for complications and specifically for haemorrhage. The primary exposure variable was whether patients were day case patients or inpatients. Models were adjusted for the demographic and frailty characteristics of the patients.
RESULTS: Over the 7-year interval, 41 518 elective thyroid lobectomies were performed by 127 different hospital trusts. The day case rate was 9.9% (4125 patients) across all hospital trusts. Rates in the 118 hospital trusts conducting >20 procedures during the 7 years varied from 0% to 74.6%. Day case surgery was associated with a lower 30-day emergency readmission rate (OR 0.73 (95% c.i. 0.56 to 0.96); P < 0.021), with no evidence of association with poorer outcomes. There was no evidence that trusts with day case rates >30% had poorer outcomes than trusts with day case rates <1%.
CONCLUSION: In low-risk patients, day case thyroid lobectomy is safe.
DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znaf299
