Inguinal hernia surgery, removal of varicose veins, knee surgery by athroscope and cataract surgery – these are just a few of the approximately 400 operations that can be performed on an outpatient basis today. State-of-the-art surgical techniques and gentle anesthesia procedures put far less strain on the body than in the past and often make a hospital stay unnecessary. Patients can spend the first night after surgery back at home and recover in familiar surroundings.
Outpatient surgery: beneficial for young and old alike
It is not only younger patients who benefit from medical progress. In many cases, outpatient surgery is also an option for older people. Just one example is cataract surgery, known as cataract in technical jargon. In Germany, around 400,000 people undergo cataract surgery in this way every year.
For example: cataract
“Cataracts are primarily a disease of old age, caused by a slowed metabolism,” explains Dr. Sabine Voermans, health expert at the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). “The originally clear lens of the eye becomes cloudy. Patients have the impression of constantly seeing through a veil that becomes denser over time.” Visual acuity gradually decreases until those affected often perceive only a light-dark difference. Among those over 75, nearly 40 percent of men and more than 45 percent of women are affected by significant lens opacification, with vision deterioration of more than 40 percent.
Cataract surgery can significantly improve vision. According to German ophthalmologists, more than 90 percent of all cataract patients can see much better after surgery than before. In the most common form of cataract surgery, the clouded lens is replaced with an artificial lens. The relatively short procedure usually causes little stress to the patient, so local anesthesia is usually sufficient. Voermans: “After an outpatient procedure, patients can recover at home in familiar surroundings and are thus usually back on their feet much more quickly. Of course, there is no risk of contracting hospital germs at home either.”
Important: the state of health
Whether an operation can be performed on an outpatient basis must be discussed with the doctor in each individual case. In principle, every patient – regardless of age – is suitable for outpatient surgery. However, in some patients, the state of health militates against outpatient surgery. Examples include:
- People with severe overweight
- People with certain diseases of the heart or lungs
- Patients with impaired kidney function
- Diabetics with severe diabetes
Should be monitored as inpatients after surgery.
After the procedure quickly become active again
Many elderly people who are very independent and take care of themselves often suffer so-called “loss of competence” due to longer hospital stays. That is, they find it difficult to return to their old form. In individual cases, this even leads to nursing cases. Older patients in particular should therefore be active again as soon as possible after an operation. In the first 24 hours after the operation, the patient should not be alone. Often, relatives, friends or acquaintances are ready to assist the patient.
Most patients in Germany give the doctors who perform outpatient surgery a good report. This was shown by a study commissioned by TK in 2004 on the quality of outpatient surgery by physicians in private practice. 98 percent of the patients surveyed who had previously undergone outpatient surgery would choose outpatient surgery again. The study also showed that outpatient surgery is also very suitable for seniors. Of the outpatient surgery patients surveyed, 17 percent were older than 60. Eighteen percent were between the ages of 50 and 59.
