Outpatient procedures continue to rise in popularity. In the past 30 years, the number of outpatient surgical procedures performed has increased to over 54 million per year. That’s nearly the same number of in-hospital surgical procedures being done annually. Ambulatory Surgery Centers—known as ASCs—are modern health care facilities focused on providing same-day surgical care.

Patients find that outpatient surgeries offer a variety of benefits. A few of the benefits of an outpatient surgical procedure include:

• You get to leave the surgery center in just a few hours (same-day surgery) and enjoy the convenience of recovering at home while reducing the risk of infection.
• The anesthesiologist uses anesthesia for outpatient procedures that don’t last as long.
• Outpatient procedures are safer; you’re now able to recover faster with fewer potential medical problems or complications.
• Minimally invasive surgery creates less pain for the patient and more straightforward post-operative care.

Common Outpatient Surgeries

It’s easy to see why outpatient surgeries have skyrocketed in popularity and why today, a variety of surgical procedures can be done in outpatient centers. Here’s a look at some of the most common outpatient surgeries.

Tendon and Muscle Repair

Tendons – the band-like tissues connecting bone and muscle – may require a surgical procedure if they’re injured. For example, the rotator cuff in the shoulder is a very complex group of muscles and tendons that help keep the shoulder in the right place. A common example of a minimally invasive outpatient tendon and muscle repair medical procedure is rotator cuff repair. The minimally invasive procedure requires local anesthesia and is performed through at least two small incisions, using miniaturized instruments for cutting and repair.

Hands, Wrists, Ankles

Your hands get used for thousands of different tasks daily. Problems like carpal tunnel or deformed joints, trigger finger, or even tendon or nerve repair in the hands can all be addressed via minimally invasive outpatient surgery.

The ankle is also a smaller joint, and it’s commonly injured by individuals playing sports. If you break your ankle, it could require a doctor for surgery, and ankle surgery is often able to be done by our surgical team using minimally invasive techniques on an outpatient basis.

Knees

Injuries, aging, and arthritis can all do a number on your knees. Whether you deal with wear-and-tear to the knee joints or you have an injury like a torn ligament, most knee-related surgeries can be done as outpatient surgery. Even partial or total knee joint replacement can be performed this way, depending on the situation. Most people’s recovery time for joint replacement surgeries is vastly improved when the surgeon performs outpatient surgery.

Hips

Hip replacement outpatient surgery is quite common and often helps relieve pain for the patient while improving overall hip function. More than 340,000 hip replacements are done every year, and the success rate of this surgery by doctors is very high. While hip replacement used only to be performed in hospitals, it’s a very common outpatient procedure today.

Elbows

An operation may be needed to offer a patient relief for chronic elbow pain or to deal with fractures or other trauma to the elbow. Outpatient procedures often performed on patient elbows include Tommy John surgery, elbow arthroscopy, fracture repair, Ulnar nerve release, and radial head arthroplasty.

Shoulders

Many common shoulder injuries can be addressed using outpatient surgical procedures. Shoulder arthroscopy procedures are quite common and only require a couple of small incisions to repair tendons, cartilage, or muscle tears. Rotator cuff repair and other shoulder procedures are common outpatient surgeries.

Spine

Spinal surgeries are normally performed as a last resort to alleviate a patient’s pain after exhausted conservative treatment methods. More and more spine procedures are now being done as outpatient surgeries, allowing patients to go home the same day. Spinal cord stimulator insertions, vertebral augmentation, lumbar laminectomy, and anterior cervical discectomy are types of spinal surgery commonly being done as an outpatient.

Outpatient Surgery at Prime

Whether you need a complete rotator cuff repair, spine surgery, or a tendon and muscle repair procedure after a sports injury, surgery doesn’t always mean you’ll end up in the hospital. Many common procedures are done outpatient by surgeons today, allowing you to receive the care you need and recover comfortably at home.

At Prime Surgical Suites, we provide state-of-the-art, cost-effective musculoskeletal surgical care in a convenient and comfortable outpatient setting for patients of all ages. Located in RiverCrest Medical Park, we are the region's first outpatient center focused exclusively on orthopedics. Our physician-led center will help restore your active lifestyle and well-being with compassion and orthopedic excellence.