Fast-Track Eligibility After Ambulatory Anesthesia

Abstract

Bypassing the recovery room by transferring outpatients directly to the step-down unit after ambulatory surgery ("fast-tracking") could result in significant cost-savings. We examined the effects of three different maintenance anesthetics--desflurane, sevoflurane, and propofol--on the fast-track eligibility of outpatients after laparoscopic tubal ligation surgery. Compared with propofol, desflurane and sevoflurane resulted in a higher percentage of outpatients being judged eligible for fast-tracking.