Predicting factor analysis of postoperative complications after robot-assisted radical cystectomy: Multicenter KORARC database study

Preoperative smoking and robot-assisted radical cystectomy outcomes & complications in multicenter KORARC database

To investigate the influence of preoperative smoking history on the survival outcomes and complications in a cohort from a large multicenter database. Many patients who undergo radical cystectomy (RC) have a history of smoking; however, the direct association between preoperative smoking history and survival outcomes and complications in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who undergo robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) remains unexplored. We conducted a retrospective analysis using data from 749 patients in the Korean Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy Study Group (KORARC) database, with an average follow-up duration of 30.8 months. The cohort was divided into two groups: smokers (n = 351) and non-smokers (n = 398). Propensity score matching was employed to address differences in sample size and baseline demographics between the two groups (n = 274, each). Comparative analyses included assessments of oncological outcomes and complications. After matching, smoking did not significantly affect the overall complication rate (p = 0.121). Preoperative smoking did not significantly increase the occurrence of complications based on complication type (p = 0.322), nor did it increase the readmission rate (p = 0.076). There were no perioperative death in either group. Furthermore, preoperative smoking history showed no significant impact on overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.87, interquartile range (IQR): 0.54-1.42; p = 0.589] and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR = 1.12, IQR: 0.83-1.53; p = 0.458) following RARC for MIBC. The extent of preoperative smoking (≤ 10, 10-30, and ≥ 30 pack-years) had no significant influence on OS and RFS in any of the categories (all p > 0.05). Preoperative smoking history did not significantly affect OS, RFS, or complications in patients with MIBC undergoing RARC.

Lower bleeding volume contributes to decreasing surgical site infection in radical cystectomy: A propensity score-matched comparison of open versus robot-assisted radical cystectomy

OBJECTIVES

To compare the incidence of surgical site infections (SSI) between robot-assisted and open radical cystectomies and investigate the risk factors for SSI after radical cystectomies.

METHODS

Consecutive patients who underwent radical cystectomy between July 2008 and December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. The prevalence and characteristics of SSI after open and robot-assisted radical cystectomies were compared, and the risk factors for SSI were investigated using propensity score matching.

RESULTS

This study enrolled 231 patients (open: 145, robot-assisted: 86). In the robot-assisted group, urinary diversion was performed using an intracorporeal approach. SSI occurred in 34 (open: 28, robot-assisted: 6) patients, and the incidence was significantly lower in the robot-assisted group (19.3% vs. 7.0%, p = 0.007). After propensity score matching cohort (open: 34, robot-assisted: 34), increased bleeding volume, blood transfusion, and delayed postoperative oral feeding were significantly associated with SSI. Only increased bleeding volume remained a significant risk factor in the multivariate regression analysis (odds ratio, 1.13 [per 100 mL increase]; 95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.25; p = 0.001). The cutoff bleeding volume for predicting SSI was 1630 mL with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.773, 0.73, and 0.75, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of SSI after robot-assisted radical cystectomy was significantly lower than that after the open procedure. However, decreased bleeding volume, which was significantly associated with robot-assisted procedures, was an independent and more significant factor for reducing SSI after radical cystectomy than the differences of the surgical procedure even after propensity score matching.