Outpatient parotidectomy with or without the use of a post‐operative drain: a retrospective bi‐institutional study

Parotid surgery is historically performed as an inpatient procedure, and suctions drains are predominantly used during surgery. Recent literature provides evidence that outpatient parotid surgery is safe and effective. The study aims to describe the results of drainless outpatient parotidectomy and outpatient parotidectomy with drain placement and compare their outcomes. Outpatient parotid surgery with or without a post‐operative drain is safe, practical, and feasible. Same‐day discharge with and without drain placement yield comparable outcomes. However, the results need to be interpreted cautiously as a small cohort of parotidectomies limited this study without drain placement. Future studies should further compare both approaches.