Abstract
Introduction Anterior cervical surgeries have been safely performed in ambulatory surgery centers since 1995 with the first cases being one level anterior cervical discectomies without fusion, then in 1996, one level anterior cervical discectomies with fusion (ACDF). When it is was certain that outpatient fusion was safe, the number of ACDF levels slowly and methodically were increased to the now standard outpatient maximum of four level ACDF. During this evolution, with the introduction of arthroplasty surgery, one level arthroplasties were considered appropriate for outpatient surgery and now two-level outpatient cervical arthroplasties are routine and some three level arthroplasties have been performed with no additional morbidity compared to one level procedures. The author first reported a series of 27 patients in 2010 who underwent cervical disc replacement at an ASC. (Wohns, R. Safety and cost-effectiveness of outpatient cervical disc arthroplasty. Surg. Neurol. Int. 1, 77, 2010). The average operative time was 40 minutes and the patients were observed over a period of three hours prior to discharge. None of the patients had major complications and there were no reports of worsening or persistent pain. The results of a Delphi study in 2018 compared the safety and efficiency of one-level and two-level arthroplasty procedures performed in an ASC and in a hospital setting. (Gornet et al. Safety and Efficiency of Cervical Disc Arthroplasty in Ambulatory Surgery Centers vs Hospital Settings. Int’l J of Spine Surgery. Vol. 12, No.5, 2018, pp. 557-564). The study analyzed outcomes of 145 ASC patients, 348 hospital outpatients and 65 hospital inpatients and the conclusion was that both one and two-level arthroplasties may be performed safely in an ASC. Surgeries in ASCs are of shorter duration and performed with less blood loss without increased AEs. At the present time, there does not appear to be any contra-indication to performing the vast majority of cervical arthroplasties in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). Furthermore, the cost of an outpatient arthroplasty is commonly 30% to 50% of the cost of hospital-based procedures.