Recovery after robot-assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy: the patients’ perspective

Does a Preoperative Bowel Regimen Change Time to Bowel Movement? A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

This study is important because it aimed to assess an intervention to decrease patient discomfort after a robotic sacral colpopexy.

OBJECTIVE

Our primary outcome was to determine whether preoperative use of polyethylene glycol decreases time to first bowel movement postoperatively. Secondary outcomes include degree of pain with first bowel movement and stool consistency.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a randomized controlled trial. The experimental group was assigned polyethylene glycol daily for 7 days before surgery and the control group was not. All patients received polyethylene glycol postoperatively.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant reduction in the time to first postoperative bowel movement when preoperative polyethylene glycol was used (mean [SD] in days for the control and experimental groups of 2.32 [0.99] and 1.96 [1.00], P = 0.21). There was a statistically significant reduction in pain levels with the first postoperative bowel movement in the experimental group (median [IQR] of 4 [2-5] vs 1 [0-2], P = 0.0007). Postoperative day 1 pain levels were also significantly lower in the experimental group (median [IQR] of 4 [3-6] vs 2 [0-4], P = 0.0484). In addition, patients had decreased average postoperative pain levels over 7 days with an estimated difference in the median pain levels of 1.88 units (95% confidence interval, 0.64-3.12; P = 0.0038).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative administration of polyethylene glycol did not decrease time to first postoperative bowel movement. Patients in the experimental group exhibited less pain with their first postoperative bowel movement and had improved pain levels on postoperative day 1.

Abdominal and robotic sacrocolpopexy costs following implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery

OBJECTIVE

To compare perioperative costs and morbidity between open and robotic sacrocolpopexy after implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway.

METHODS

The present retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing open or robotic sacrocolpopexy (January 1, 2014, through November 30, 2017) used an ERAS protocol with liposomal bupivacaine infiltration of laparotomy incisions. Primary outcomes were costs associated with index surgery and hospitalization, determined with Medicare cost-to-charge ratios and reimbursement rates and adjusted for variables expected to impact costs. Secondary outcomes included narcotic use, length of stay (LOS), and complications from index hospitalization to postoperative day 30.

RESULTS

For the total of 231 patients (open cohort, 90; robotic cohort, 141), the adjusted mean cost of robotic surgery was $3239 higher compared with open sacrocolpopexy (95% confidence interval [CI] $1331-$5147; P < 0.001). Rates were not significantly different for intraoperative complications (robotic, 4.3% [6/141]; open, 5.6% [5/90]; P = 0.754), 30-day postoperative complications (robotic, 11.4% [16/141]; open, 16.7% [15/90]; P = 0.322), or readmissions (robotic, 5.7% [8/141]; open, 3.3% [3/90]; P = 0.535). The percentage of patients dismissed on postoperative day 1 was greater in the robotic group (89.4% [126/141] vs. 48.9% [44/90], P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased LOS associated with ERAS provided significant cost savings with open sacrocolpopexy versus robotic sacrocolpopexy without adverse impacts on perioperative complications or readmissions.

Robot-assisted sacro(hystero)colpopexy with anterior and posterior mesh placement: impact on lower bowel tract function and clinical outcomes at mid-term follow-up

Background:

Robotic sacrocolpopexy (RSCP) is an established option for the treatment of apical, anterior, and proximal posterior compartment pelvic organ prolapses (POP). However, there is lack of evidence investigating how lower bowel tract symptoms (LBTS) may change after RSCP.

Methods:

Data from consecutive patients treated with RSCP for stage 3 or higher POP from 2012 to 2019 at a single tertiary referral center with at least 1 year of follow-up were prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed. RSCP was performed following a standardized technique which always employed both anterior and posterior hand-shaped meshes. Outcomes were collected at follow-up and analyzed. LBTS were evaluated through the Wexner questionnaire.

Results:

Overall, 114 women underwent RSCP. Eleven were excluded for missing data, whereas 12 had insufficient follow-up. Thus, 91 (79.8%) patients were included in this cohort. Median follow-up was 42 [interquartile range (IQR), 19–62] months. Mean age was 65 ± 10 years. In our series, RSCP was mainly performed for anterior and apical/medium stage 3 POP (in 95.6% of patients). Anatomic success rate of RSCP was 97.8%, with 89 patients with POP stage 0–1 at 12-month follow-up. Two patients (2.2%) experienced POP recurrence and were treated with redo-SCP. No patient experienced clinically significant posterior vaginal wall prolapse after RSCP. When analyzing LBTS, there was no significant change in postoperative total Wexner’s score as compared to the preoperative value ( p > 0.05). However, the manual assistance subscore was statistically significantly lower within the first-year follow-up ( p = 0.04), but it spontaneously improved during the follow-up ( p = 0.12).

Conclusion:

RSCP with simultaneous placement of both anterior and posterior mesh is safe and successful to treat high-stage POP in carefully selected patients. Of note, LBTS appear unaffected by posterior mesh placement, supporting its routine use to prevent posterior POP recurrence. Larger prospective studies are needed to confirm our results.