The Benefits Of Having Surgery At An Ambulatory Surgery Center

When you think of surgery, you probably envision it being performed at a hospital. Years ago, most surgeries were performed at hospitals. But times have changed, and now many surgeries are offered at ambulatory surgical centers. These centers may be near or associated with hospitals, but they are separate entities. Why might you choose to have your surgery done at one of these centers instead of at a hospital? Here are a few key benefits.

You're less likely to get sick.

Hospital staff do their very best to keep the place clean and sanitary, but the truth is, there are a lot of sick people at hospitals, many of whom have infectious diseases. You do run a risk of coming down with an infection or illness after spending time at the hospital. Surgical centers, on the other hand, tend to attract patients who are not sick. After all, most surgeries can't be performed if you have a cold or the flu, so patients with these ailments tend to stay home. You're therefore less likely to end up with a cold, flu, or other infection after visiting a surgical center.

You may have access to more specialized procedures.

Surgical centers focus on surgery. As such, they tend to bring in the most knowledgeable surgeons and the latest equipment. This allows them to offer more advanced procedures than those you'd typically have performed at a hospital. For example, at a hospital, you might have the option of having open knee surgery.  At a surgical center, you might be able to choose arthroscopic knee surgery performed through tiny incisions. The more specific and specialized your surgical needs, the more important it will be to seek out a more advanced surgical center.

You'll often receive more constant care.

At a hospital, even in the surgical wing, the nurses and nurse's aids have a lot of patients to attend to. As such, while you are being prepped for surgery and waking up after surgery, you generally won't be watched constantly. At a surgical center, the staff tend to have fewer duties. They are solely focused on caring for recovering patients and those prepping for surgery. So, you'll likely get more consistent and personalized care at a surgical center.

If you have a choice between having surgery at a hospital and at a surgical center, definitely choose the surgical center. Hospitals do a lot of things well, but surgical centers are the place to have surgery. For more information, contact a surgery center near you.