What should be the patient's preference regarding the choice of hospital in the case of radical cystectomy? Evaluation of early complications after open radical cystectomy in a medium and high volume setting in one hospital

A tissue-engineered urinary conduit in a porcine urinary diversion model

The use of an ileal segment is a standard method for urinary diversion after radical cystectomy. Unfortunately, utilization of this method can lead to numerous surgical and metabolic complications. This study aimed to assess the tissue-engineered artificial conduit for urinary diversion in a porcine model. Tissue-engineered tubular polypropylene mesh scaffolds were used for the right ureter incontinent urostomy model. Eighteen male pigs were divided into three equal groups: Group 1 (control ureterocutaneostomy), Group 2 (the right ureter-artificial conduit-skin anastomoses), and Group 3 (4 weeks before urostomy reconstruction, the artificial conduit was implanted between abdomen muscles). Follow-up was 6 months. Computed tomography, ultrasound examination, and pyelogram were used to confirm the patency of created diversions. Morphological and histological analyses were used to evaluate the tissue-engineered urinary diversion. All animals survived the experimental procedures and follow-up. The longest average patency was observed in the 3rd Group (15.8 weeks) compared to the 2nd Group (10 weeks) and the 1st Group (5.8 weeks). The implant's remnants created a retroperitoneal post-inflammation tunnel confirmed by computed tomography and histological evaluation, which constitutes urostomy. The simultaneous urinary diversion using a tissue-engineered scaffold connected directly with the skin is inappropriate for clinical application.

Early postoperative complications and 90-day mortality in patients undergoing radical cystectomy

Introduction: The standard treatment method of muscle-invasive bladder cancer is radical cystectomy. This complex procedure consists of removing the urinary bladder with distal ureters and regional lymph nodes. Additionally, the prostate with seminal vesicles in men and uterus with ovaries in women should be excised. Therefore, this demanding oncological surgery is associated with a high occurrence of complications. The aim of this study was to assess the complications after radical cystectomy and identify the factors associated with severe complications and high mortality rate. Materials/Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical data of 213 patients who underwent a radical cystectomy. Preoperative risk factors were assessed based on American Society of Anesthesiologists classification (ASA) and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Clavien-Dindo classification was also included in our analysis. We investigated various factors associated with 30-day and 90-day mortality. Results: Complications after surgery were reported in 38% (n = 81) of patients in the studied group. Excluding perioperative high fever, the complication rate was 18%. The following complications were observed in 30-day postoperative period: wound infection (n = 6), wound dehiscence (n = 4), mechanical bowel obstruction (n = 3), hemorrhage (n = 2), cardiological (n = 8), stroke (n = 3). Observed 30-day mortality was 2.3% (n = 5), while 90-day mortality was 8.9% (n = 19). The mortality rate was associated with the stage of cancer and the type of urinary diversion. Conclusions: Radical cystectomy is a complex and traumatic urological surgery. It is associated with a significant complication rate and mortality, and it negatively affects quality of life. Therefore, all known risk factors should be thoroughly assessed preoperatively to select optimal treatment. Furthermore, the patient should be carefully informed about the risks associated with the surgery.

Surgical High-risk Patients With ASA ≥ 3 Undergoing Radical Cystectomy: Morbidity, Mortality, and Predictors for Major Complications in a High-volume Tertiary Center

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate major complications and risk factors for adverse clinical outcome in surgical high-risk (American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] 3-4) patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) in a high-volume setting.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 1206 patients underwent RC between 2004 and 2017 in our institution and were included. We assessed complications graded by the Clavien-Dindo-Classification system (CDC) in addition to the 90-day mortality rate and stratified results by the ASA classification. In a multivariate analysis, risk factors for high-grade complications (CDC ≥ 3) were tested. Additionally, outcome parameters were compared between 2004 to 2010 and 2010 to 2017.

RESULTS

Patients with ASA ≥ 3 presented with more locally advanced tumors pT ≥ 3 (52.1% vs. 42.4%; P = .002) and positive lymphatic spread N1 (27.2% vs. 23.5%; P = .001) compared with patients with ASA ≤ 2. High-grade complications were significantly (P < .001) more prevalent in patients with ASA ≥ 3 compared with patients with ASA ≤ 2: CDC3 (14.6% vs. 9.4%), CDC4 (10.2% vs. 5.4%), and CDC5 (2.5% vs. 1.0%). The 90-day mortality rate (7.6% vs. 3.2%; P = .002) and perioperative reinterventions (23.5% vs. 13.1%; P < .001) were elevated in patients with ASA ≥ 3. ASA (odds ratio [OR], 2.701, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.089-6.703; P = .032), previous abdominal operations (OR, 1.683; 95% CI, 1.188-2.384; P = .003), and body mass index ≥ 30 (OR, 1.533; 95% CI, 1.021-2.304; P = .039) proved to function as independent predictors for major complications. CDC ≥ 3 complications (31.7% vs. 24.3%; P = .029) and 90-day mortality (10.4% vs. 5.6%; P = .018) were significantly lower in the second half of the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

Mortality and morbidity in surgical high-risk patients with ASA 3 to 4 undergoing RC is about twice as high compared with patients with ASA 1 to 2. ASA, previous abdominal operations, and elevated body mass index independently predict adverse clinical outcome in patients with ASA 3 to 4. Our results may help to weigh the surgical risk of RC in multimorbid patients.