Early discharge to the neurosurgical ward after elective supratentorial brain tumor resection

Postsurgical care after craniotomy at an intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with utilization of limited resources and high costs while it may not always be necessary. The benefit of routine postoperative monitoring at the ICU compared to early discharge to the neurosurgical ward is unknown. Patients at risk for adverse events need to be monitored closely, however, we hypothesize that carefully selected patients following craniotomy may be discharged to the neurosurgical ward. In this study we explore the number of adverse events within 72 hours after brain tumor resections when selected patients are discharged to the neurosurgical ward from the post anesthetic care unit (PACU) after six hours.