I recently reviewed a number of articles on the evolution of Ambulatory Surgery including the recent thought-provoking article, “The ASC Surge”, in the Winter 2026 issue of OR Today.1 These articles prompted some reflection on the evolution of ambulatory surgery. When I began working in perioperative nursing in the mid-1980s our total joint cases, whether knees or hips, had a lengthy inpatient hospital stay. In comparison, total knee arthroplasties are now routinely scheduled as outpatient procedures for healthy patients and outpatient hip replacements are possible for some patients.
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