Risk factors for adverse outcomes after transurethral resection of bladder tumors

Background: Risk factors for adverse outcomes after transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) have not been identified to date. Such information would facilitate preoperative risk stratification and case-mix-adjusted outcome comparison, and lead to the development of processes of care directed at improving outcomes and ultimately the quality of care for bladder carcinoma patients.

Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) is a prospective quality management initiative of 123 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers nationwide. Since 1991, a total of 21,515 TURBTs have been prospectively registered by the NSQIP; these cases compose the current study population. Using multivariable logistic regression, the authors determined the independent association between preoperative patient risk factors and perioperative elements of structure/process and morbidity, mortality, and prolonged length of stay (LOS) outcomes.

Results: The postoperative complication, 30-day, and 90-day mortality rates were 4.3%, 1.3%, and 3.3%, respectively. The median, 75th percentile, and 90th percentile for LOS among patients undergoing TURBT was 2 days, 3 days, and 8 days, respectively. Robust preoperative patient risk factors that were found to be uniformly associated with all adverse outcomes included the presence of disseminated disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.9-5.2) weight loss (OR, 1.8-3.8), low serum albumin (OR, 2.3-7.1), elevated serum creatinine (OR, 1.3-2.9), a dependent functional status (OR, 1.5-2.7), and emergent case status (OR, 1.8-3.1). Compared with models using preoperative patient factors alone, models including perioperative structure and process measures explained further variation in surgical outcomes (each likelihood ratio test, P < .0001).

Conclusions: The findings of the current study highlight the fact that there are a wide array of patient risk factors that are associated with adverse outcomes after TURBT. Validation of those processes implemented to modify such elements can provide a basis for quality metrics in the context of TURBT.