Safety of same day discharge in patients undergoing sutureless thyroidectomy: a comparison of local and general anesthesia.

BACKGROUND The thyroid gland is one of the most vascular organs in the body and surgical resection mandates meticulous surgical technique and hemostasis. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing system in permitting ambulatory thyroid surgery under local anesthesia. METHODS From January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2005, 224 consecutive patients underwent thyroid surgery using the LigaSure for hemostasis. Whenever possible, local/regional anesthesia with conscious sedation was utilized during the procedure. A descriptive analysis was performed to evaluate patient characteristics and outcome measures. RESULTS Eighty-two percent (n = 184) of all unselected patients presenting for thyroid surgery had their procedure performed under local/regional anesthesia with conscious sedation whereas 18% (n = 40) received general anesthesia. When comparing these two groups, the local anesthesia patients were more likely to be female (85% vs. 68%, p < or = 0.05) and younger (mean age = 50 vs. 61 years, p < or= 0.05). Forty percent of the local anesthesia patients underwent a total thyroidectomy compared to 58% in the general anesthesia group (p < or = 0.05). The mean duration of surgery was shorter in the local anesthesia patients (71 minutes vs. 101 minutes, p < or = 0.05) and the mean gland weight was also less (26.9 g vs. 63.9 g, p < or = 0.05). There was one hematoma in the local anesthesia group, but overall the morbidity was not different. Eighty-eight percent of the local anesthesia patients were discharged same day of surgery compared to 45% of the general anesthesia patients. CONCLUSIONS The electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing system permits safe, same day discharge in patients undergoing thyroid surgery with a low complication rate irrespective of the type of anesthesia.