Pilot Feasibility and Preliminary Cost Implications of a Day-Case Head and Neck Surgery Pathway Incorporating ARTISS Fibrin Sealant.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and preliminary cost implications of implementing a standardized day-case pathway for common head and neck procedures that incorporates ARTISS fibrin sealant (human). DESIGN: This was a single-center, retrospective pilot service evaluation of consecutive cases. SETTING: The study was conducted at a UK National Health Service (NHS) district general hospital (day surgery unit without inpatient beds). PARTICIPANTS: Participants included consecutive adults between October 2024 and February 2025 who underwent selected head and neck procedures judged suitable for day-case management under a predefined pathway. INTERVENTION: A protocolized bundle including meticulous hemostasis, ARTISS applied at closure to promote adhesion and reduce dead space, drain avoidance where feasible (surgeon discretion permitted), structured recovery and explicit discharge criteria, and written or telephone safety-netting. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was same-day discharge, and the secondary outcomes included unplanned overnight admission, return to the operating room, 30-day readmission, hematoma or seroma, drain use, and other adverse events. A provider-perspective cost-consequence analysis compared day-case delivery with procedure-specific inpatient length of stay (LOS) estimates from the literature, and one-way sensitivity analyses were performed varying LOS, bed-day costs, and ARTISS price. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients underwent day-case head and neck surgery; 25/29 (86.2%; 95% CI 69.4-94.5) were discharged the same day. No returns to the operating room or 30-day readmissions for hemorrhage or seroma were observed (95% upper bound 10.3%). Drains were used in 1/29 (3.4%; 95% CI 0.6-17.2). Base-case modeling indicated bed-day cost savings versus inpatient care. CONCLUSIONS: A standardized day-case pathway that incorporates ARTISS was feasible in this retrospective pilot, with a preliminary favorable safety profile and cost consequences in an NHS setting. As a single-center, non-comparative study, findings are preliminary and cannot isolate the independent effect of ARTISS. Future studies should include multicenter comparative evaluation (ARTISS versus no ARTISS within the same pathway) and formal economic analysis.