Safety of same day discharge following percutaneous coronary intervention

Background: There is a body of literature reporting the safety of discharging patients the same day as percutaneous coronary revascularisation. Nevertheless, overnight stay continues to be the general standard of care. Methods: Over a single calendar year, 130 patients having elective, percutaneous coronary revascularisation were discharged home the day of the procedure with the majority of procedures using radial access. Patients were observed post procedure for six hours and if no problems occurred, discharge was undertaken. The purpose of the study was to assess complications in the 24 hours following discharge. Results: Within the following 24 hours post discharge, there were no complications reported including bleeding, recurrent ischaemia, or hospitalisation. Conclusion: Same day discharge following elective percutaneous revascularisation appears both efficacious and safe with a low risk of post discharge complications.