ABSTRACT
Over the past few decades, there have been vast changes in the practice of surgery. Sutures and sewing have been ever increasingly replaced by stapling devices. Generous incisions are being replaced by small port sites. These advances have also been accompanied by cost-reducing measures. Elective inguinal hernia repair is no longer a three day hospital stay, but rather a three hour experience. During this time period, the concept of ambulatory surgery, surgery not requiring in-patient hospitalization, has become a reality. This includes patients who undergo surgery where they are admitted a few hours prior to surgery and discharged a few hours after surgery, or patients who are admitted for a 23-hour stay. The field of colorectal surgery, especially anorectal surgery, has accepted and welcomed this change.
