Discharge planning
Reviewed by Deepak Chandrasekharan

For a specialty such as ENT in which so many procedures are performed as day case surgery, there is a pressing need for objective discharge criteria to facilitate safe decision making post-op. This review strikes a good balance between prescriptive checklist based criteria and useful practical descriptors of a patient ready for discharge. It begins by covering standard discharge criteria with specific coverage of postop pain, nausea and vomiting and a summary of specific patient groups common in ENT, e.g. those with diabetes or OSA. The STOP-BANG questionnaire is introduced here as a screening tool for OSA. Overall this is an extremely pertinent review that will help any surgeon equip themselves with the perioperative skills to aid discharge planning post-op.

Discharge criteria, impact of the patient and the procedure: what the oral surgeon should know.
Kramer KJ.
ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY CLINICS OF NORTH AMERICA
2017;29:197-208.