The main objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of outpatient surgery in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. We hypothesized that if the patient underwent the procedure within a dedicated organization, safety would be ensured.

A non-randomized, prospective, comparative, single-operator study conducted in 2012–2013 included all patients undergoing first-line surgery for ACL arthroscopic reconstruction using a short hamstring graft. The outpatient group (OP) included patients who were eligible for outpatient surgery and provided consent; the conventional hospitalization group (CH) comprised those patients not suitable for outpatient surgery and those who refused it. The main evaluation criterion was failure of the admission modality defined as hospitalization of a patient who had undergone outpatient surgery or rehospitalization in the first week after discharge. The secondary evaluation criteria were the rate of postoperative complications, postoperative pain, use of analgesics, and patient satisfaction. A total of 138 patients were included: 71 in the OP group and 67 in the CH group, with a mean age of 29.6±9 years. Twenty-nine percent of the patients refused outpatient surgery. In the CH group, the mean hospital stay lasted 2.7±0.8 days.

One patient in the OP group was hospitalized with localized bleeding and there were no rehospitalizations. Six early postoperative complications were noted in each group. The mean postoperative pain on D0–D4 and patient satisfaction were similar in the two groups.

This prospective study encountered no serious events after outpatient ACL reconstruction surgery. In a selected population, the risks are comparable to those in conventional hospitalization.

Level III, comparative study.