Complications following day case paediatric surgery

Several children have day surgery under general anaesthesia and depend on adult relatives for support and postoperative care at home. This prospective review examines the post operative problems encountered by 62 such children from the time of discharge from hospital to the first outpatient visit. The children were in the age range 3 months to 12 years. The commonest complications reported were:- Pain (18.9%), Cough/Sore throat (18.9%), Fever (16.2%), Restlessness (13.5%), Vomiting (12.2%), and Sleeplessness (6.7%). Eight patients reported more than three complications each. Day case surgery should not be regarded as "Minor Surgery" under Minor Anaesthesia", rather, the concerns for safety and comfort of the patients should extend beyond the recovery room to the ward and home.