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Study: Some surgeries safer when performed in docs’ offices

Ambulatory Safety Monitor, January 6, 2005

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Many people may prefer to have a surgical procedure performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgery center (ASC), because of those facilities' specific amenities and the number of trained professionals and state-of-the-art equipment on hand. However, the results of a new study are showing surprising findings when it comes to patient safety.

According to a release published on the Web site of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (http://www.asds-net.org), a new study indicates that certain cosmetic procedures, such as liposuction, are actually safer for patients when performed in a physician's office setting rather than an ASC.  The report, originally published in the December issue of Dermatologic Surgery, makes the case that offices' use of local anesthesia present a lower risk of complications and death for patients than the general anesthesia used in ASCs.

"We found that physicians operating with general anesthesia tend to do multiple procedures at the same time, which causes a greater risk to the patient because the patient stays under general anesthesia for a longer period of time," said Dr. Brett Coldiron, a dermasurgeon and the lead author of the study.

The study comes at a time when multiple state boards and legislative bodies are seeking to put limits on the number of procedures performed in doctor's offices, citing concerns for patient safety.

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