The utility of a pelvic drain (PD) after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) has been recently questioned. We investigated the impact of discontinuing PD placement after RARP on complications, pain, environmental benefits, and cost savings.
We identified 1,199 patients who underwent RARP with or without extended pelvic lymph node dissection from 2016 to 2023 at a referral center. Starting in 2018, PD placement was discontinued in uncomplicated RARPs. Complications were collected following the European Association of Urology (EAU) recommendations on reporting and grading. Multivariable logistic regression models (MLR) evaluated the impact of PD use on perioperative outcomes and opioid usage. The PD life cycle-associated Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Emissions (CO2e) and its economic impact were estimated.
A PD was placed in a total of 555 (46%) patients, with a decreasing rate from 94% to 18% between 2016 and 2023. The rates of any and high-grade (HG) complications were similar between patients with and without PD (29 vs. 28% and 5% vs. 6%, respectively; all P ≥ 0.2). At MLR, the PD placement was not associated with the risk of any (OR:1.09, 95%CI:0.79-1.5) or HG complications (OR 1.45, 95%CI 0.80-2.63). PD placement was associated with greater postoperative opioid usage (OR:1.58, 95%CI:1.01-2.51, P = 0.045). The CO2e spared rose from 220 in 2016 to 2,180 in 2022 and cost savings per year increased from 1,855€ in 2016 to 18,506€ in 2022.
Unnecessary PD placement should be avoided in uncomplicated RARPs to obtain environmental benefits, reduce health-related costs, and improve patients' outcomes.
Urologic oncology. 2024 Dec 16 [Epub ahead of print]
Simone Scuderi, Pietro Scilipoti, Luigi Nocera, Mattia Longoni, Leonardo Quarta, Paolo Zaurito, Francesco Barletta, Francesco Pellegrino, Mario de Angelis, Daniele Robesti, Antony Pellegrino, Armando Stabile, Alessandro Larcher, Francesco Montorsi, Alberto Briganti, Giorgio Gandaglia
Unit of Urology/Division of Oncology, Gianfranco Soldera Prostate Cancer Lab, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: ., Unit of Urology/Division of Oncology, Gianfranco Soldera Prostate Cancer Lab, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy., Unit of Urology/Division of Oncology, Gianfranco Soldera Prostate Cancer Lab, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.