Last reviewed: September 29, 2026

For carefully chosen patients, usually yes.

Large studies that matched same-day patients with similar patients who stayed in the hospital found no more complications or readmissions in the same-day group. Pooled studies agree, and same-day surgery costs less.

Who goes home matters. Readmission is more likely with older age, heart failure, chronic lung disease, high blood pressure or higher body weight, and in people who need help getting around before surgery. In one study, people with some of these risks were readmitted less often when they stayed one night. Yet a large US health-system study found same-day discharge safe even for sicker patients within an established program.

Not every study agrees. A national study from England found more readmissions after same-day knee replacement, and more people needing a second procedure within a year to loosen a stiff knee. The risk was highest in each hospital’s first few same-day cases.

At freestanding surgery centers, emergency transfer to a hospital was rare in one large series. Every transfer was for a medical problem, such as fainting, heart rhythm, blood pressure or breathing, not the knee itself.

Nearly all of this evidence comes from records, not trials.

In general:

  • Whether to go home the same day depends on overall health and is decided with your surgeon.
  • Heart or lung disease is a reason to ask whether one night in the hospital is safer.
  • At a surgery center, ask which hospital it transfers patients to if something goes wrong, and how that care is billed under your insurance.
  • A knee that stays stiff in the first weeks is worth reporting early.

Drafted with AI assistance from published sources, reviewed and edited by Babak Sheikh, MD.

Sources:

  • Lan RH, et al. Contemporary Outpatient Arthroplasty Is Safe Compared with Inpatient Surgery: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis of 574,375 Procedures. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2021. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.20.01307
  • Jenny JY, et al. Complication Rates Are Not Higher After Outpatient Versus Inpatient Fast-Track Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Propensity-Matched Prospective Comparative Study. J Arthroplasty. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2024.06.006
  • Ponugoti N, Magill H. Safety, Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Outpatient Versus Inpatient Joint Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08510-5
  • Velichala SR, et al. Risk Factors and Incidence of 30-Day Readmission Following Outpatient Total Knee Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2024.11.008
  • Belay ES, et al. Risk Factors for Delayed Discharge and Adverse Outcomes Following Outpatient Billed Total Knee Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2022.02.045
  • Bovonratwet P, et al. Reasons and Risk Factors for 30-Day Readmission After Outpatient Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Review of 3015 Cases. J Arthroplasty. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2020.04.073
  • Reddy NC, et al. Association Between Same-Day Discharge Total Joint Arthroplasty and Risk of 90-Day Adverse Events in Patients with ASA Classification of ≥3. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2021. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.20.02110
  • French JMR, et al. Day Case Hip and Knee Replacement in England: A Population-Based Cohort Study Using Linked National Joint Registry and Hospital Episode Statistics Data. BMC Med. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04280-y
  • Jaicks CM, et al. Incidence and Reasons for Direct Transfers Among Hip and Knee Arthroplasties Performed at Ambulatory Surgical Centers. Arthroplast Today. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artd.2026.101994
  • Xu J, et al. Comparison of Outpatient Versus Inpatient Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Complications. J Orthop. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jor.2019.08.022

This is general information about what published research shows. It is not medical advice and it is not about your situation. Reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship with me. I am a retired orthopedic surgeon and I do not see patients. Talk with your own doctor before changing anything about your care. If something feels suddenly or seriously wrong, get medical care promptly rather than waiting.

This page is provided as is. I make no guarantee that it is accurate, complete or current, and medical evidence changes. Use of it is at your own risk.

Published by Clinical Evidence Media LLC. Full disclaimer and how these answers are researched: Disclaimer and how these answers are made