Q. Is it safer to have a facelift in a hospital or office surgery center? Both options would involve general anesthesia. However, I’m wondering what is safest in terms of infection risk, safety, etc.
A. Thanks for your question. There are pros and cons to all sites for elective surgery whether it be a facelift, tummy tuck or hernia repair. This is my opinion:
Hospital:
- Should be all Board Certified Anesthesia staff.
- Usually performs nearly all cases under Endotracheal Inhalant Anesthesia
- Has redundancy of help to assist before, during and after care; the staff has a more limited delineation of skills.
- Tends to be more impersonal due to the number of patients being cared for.
- Must call 911 and transfer to hospital like a ASC or OSC unless performed in the Hospital OR.
- Tends to have higher rates of infection but this is unexpected following facelift
ASC: Ambulatory Surgery Center:
- Similar to all points noted above
OSC: Office Surgery Center
- Should also be a Board Certified Anesthesia staff
- May offer a greater variety of IV Sedation anesthetic options
- Less redundancy of help but I find that the smaller staff also has more range in their ability to care for patients and emergencies.
- Smaller staff is more personal and continuity of care from consultation to preop, intraop, postop and follow up are all the same individuals providing a smoother and familiar transfer of care and empathy.
- Should be accredited to the same standards as Hospital and ASC.
- Less risk of infection do to limited exposure of sick patients.
Costs for all options should be similar. For more information, please read the link below regarding a “study” of differences in surgical environments.
As you can read, my spin is the OSC. You should interview and explore the environment and individuality of each care center available to you.
Read more about similar topics:
Outpatient Surgery or Surgery Center?
This information is not meant as medical advice. It is provided solely for education. Our practice would be pleased to discuss your unique circumstances and needs as they relate to these topics.
Give us a call at 410.602.3322 or email Lauri@DrDeanKane.com and make an appointment soon. We’re located on Reservoir Circle just a block off the Baltimore beltway, convenient to greater Baltimore, Annapolis, the Eastern Shore, Southern Pennsylvania, Delaware and Carroll County.
