A cohort study on the safety,recovery quality,and economic burden of general anesthesia for pediatric oral surgery in outpatient and inpatient settings

Chen Dengchao; Xiu Donglian; Wei Juan; Shao Jun; Liu Huanhuan

doi:10.3760/j.issn.1673-4777.2026.02.014

Abstract：Objective To compare the postoperative safety,recovery quality,and economic burden of tracheal intubation general anesthesia for pediatric oral surgery between outpatient and inpatient settings.Methods A total of 426 children(213 cases in the outpatient group and 213 cases in the inpatient group)admitted to Hospital of Stomatology,Fujian Medical University from November 2022 to August 2025 were retrospectively enrolled.The outpatient group consisted of children who met the ambulatory surgery criteria and were discharged on the same day,while the inpatient group was observed for≥24 h.The primary endpoint was the unplanned medical interven-tion rate within 24 h after surgery(unplanned revisit rate in the outpatient group;unplanned intervention escalation rate in the inpatient group).Secondary endpoints included perioperative complications,pain scores,parental satisfaction,and economic costs,compared between groups;while,multivariate regression analysis was used to adjust for confounding factors such as surgical type.Results No unplanned medical interventions occurred within 24 h after surgery in either group.There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of intraoperative hypoxemia,airway spasm,postoperative complications,parental satisfaction with pain control,or overall satisfaction(all P>0.05).The out-of-pocket anesthesia cost in the outpatient group was significantly higher than that in the inpatient group[(1 668±224)yuan vs(837±79)yuan](P<0.001).Conclusion The outpatient setting is comparable to the inpatient setting in terms of safety for tracheal intubation general anesthesia in pediatric oral surgery,and equivalent family satisfaction with pain management can be achieved.However,due to restrictions in medical insurance policies,the proportion of out-of-pocket expenses in the outpatient setting is significantly higher,which may restrict its clinical promotion.