Brain surgery is highly complex. But now, some people may be able to have brain surgery and go home the same day, says Osaama Khan, MD, a neurosurgeon at Northwestern Medicine.
Khan, who spent several years developing the outpatient brain surgery protocol at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, saw the time was right to launch the program in 2020, as hospitals needed inpatient beds for Covid-19 patients.
Same-day surgery is often more attractive for patients. “Most patients are not as scared or intimidated by the thought of brain surgery when they hear they can go home that night,” Khan says.
Aurora resident Larry Byrne was among Khan’s first patients to undergo a brain surgery procedure and go home the same day. Khan removed a mass the size of a golf ball from the frontal area of Byrne’s brain. Previously, the operation would have required a one- to three-day hospital stay.
“The first six hours after brain surgery are the most critical period and require close observation,” Khan says. “Once a patient has passed the six-hour point, we obtain a new high-quality MRI to ensure that the patient is good to recover at home.”
