Is bilateral knee arthroscopy suitable as a day-case procedure?

A retrospective analysis of 100 out of 108 cases has been audited for suitability of bilateral knee arthroscopy as a day-case procedure. Fifty-three female and 47 male patients with age range of 15-78 years underwent bilateral knee arthroscopy. All patients had general anaesthetic and were ASA grade 1 or 2. Eight patients had more than one diagnosis and procedures. Post-operatively 68% could walk without walking aids, 1% had 1 stick and 31% needed 2 sticks and were given elbow crutches. One patient stayed overnight due to poor pain control and 1 attended A&E due to effusion. There were 5 (2.5%) major and 62 (31%) minor complications in 200 knees. Mild post-operative pain was the commonest minor complication in 52 (26%) out of 62 knees and was attributed to high number of bilateral arthritis cases in this study. Complication rate of bilateral arthroscopy is similar to unilateral arthroscopy. It is concluded that bilateral arthroscopy is safe as a day-case procedure.