Hospital Stay vs Outpatient Knee Replacement
Most patients stay 1 night. Same-day discharge suits a minority with the right support at home.
In South African private practice, partial knee replacement typically involves 1 night in hospital, occasionally 2. This allows pain control to be fine-tuned, the urinary catheter to come out, the first physiotherapy session in hospital and observation for early bleeding or other issues.
Same-day discharge is feasible for selected patients: medically well, motivated, with a partner at home, living within reasonable distance of the hospital and prepared to manage at home from the first evening. We discuss this on an individual basis.
Longer stays (3–5 nights) are arranged when there are medical concerns, complex social circumstances or international patients needing closer monitoring before flying.
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