Trends in surgical approach to hysterectomy and perioperative outcomes in Michigan hospitals from 2010 through 2020.

The objective of this study was to determine the trends in surgical approach to hysterectomy over the last decade and compare perioperative outcomes and complications. This retrospective cohort study used clinical registry data from the Michigan Hospitals that participated in Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC) from January 1st, 2010 through December 30th, 2020. A multigroup time series analysis was performed to determine how surgical approach to hysterectomy [open/TAH, laparoscopic (TLH/LAVH), and robotic-assisted (RA)] has changed over the last decade. Abnormal uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, chronic pelvic pain, pelvic organ prolapse, endometriosis, pelvic mass, and endometrial cancer were the most common indications for hysterectomy. The open approach to hysterectomy declined from 32.6 to 16.9%, a 1.9-fold decrease, with an average decline of 1.6% per year (95% CI - 2.3 to - 0.9%). Laparoscopic-assisted hysterectomies decreased from 27.2 to 23.8%, a 1.5-fold decrease, with an average decrease of 0.1% per year (95% CI - 0.7 to 0.6%). Finally, the robotic-assisted approach increased from 38.3 to 49.3%, a 1.25-fold increase, with an average of 1.1% per year (95% CI 0.5 to 1.7%). For malignant cases, open procedures decreased from 71.4 to 26.6%, a 2.7-fold decrease, while RA-hysterectomy increased from 19.0 to 58.7%, a 3.1-fold increase. After controlling for the confounding variables age, race, and gynecologic malignancy, RA hysterectomy was found to have the lowest rate of complications when compared to the vaginal, laparoscopic and open approaches. Finally, after controlling for uterine weight, black patients were twice as likely to undergo an open hysterectomy compared to white patients.

Pain With Differing Insufflation Pressures During Robotic Sacrocolpopexy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether decreasing insufflation pressure reduces postoperative pain and opioid use in women undergoing robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy. METHODS: In a single-blinded randomized trial, women with pelvic organ prolapse underwent robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy at either 12 mm Hg (experimental) or 15 mm Hg (standard) insufflation pressure. The primary outcome was pain rating on a visual analog scale (VAS) on postoperative day 1 within 24 hours of surgery. Secondary outcomes included VAS pain rating at outpatient follow-up, inpatient and outpatient use of opioids, operative time, and estimated blood loss. A margin of 15 mm was considered clinically different on the VAS, and at 80% power, a sample size of at least 64 participants was needed to show significance. RESULTS: From April 27, 2021, to May 17, 2022, 80 women were enrolled, with 41 in the experimental group and 39 in the standard group. All participants underwent surgery as planned and attended a 2-week postoperative follow-up. Participants in the experimental group had less pain on postoperative day 1 with median VAS of 17.0 mm (interquartile range 26.0) compared with 29.0 mm (interquartile range 32.0, P=.007) in the standard group. No differences were noted in the secondary outcomes of operative time, estimated blood loss, or length of stay. Participants in the experimental group were noted to use fewer opioids while an inpatient (P=.04) and outpatient (P=.02). In multivariable analyses, lower insufflation pressure and increasing age were negatively associated with postoperative VAS scores. CONCLUSION: Lowering insufflation pressure (12 mm Hg) during robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy safely reduced postoperative pain and opioid use compared with standard pressure (15 mm Hg). CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinialTrials.gov, NCT04858438.

Failure Rate of Retropubic Midurethral Sling With and Without Concomitant Robotic Sacrocolpopexy.

IMPORTANCE: The retropubic midurethral sling (rMUS) and sacrocolpopexy are treatments for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse, respectively, which are often performed concomitantly. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify whether a difference exists in the failure rates of rMUS when placed alone or at the time of robotic sacrocolpopexy (RSC). STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent rMUS placement between December 2015 and March 2020. The primary outcome was rMUS failure defined as additional treatment for SUI at any point. RESULTS: There were 160 patients who underwent isolated rMUS and 175 patients who underwent rMUS and RSC. Patients who underwent isolated rMUS were more likely to be obese (P < 0.01). Patients who underwent RSC were older (63.3 ± 9.9 vs 57.7 ± 13.7 years, P < 0.0001) and more likely to be White (P = 0.02). Follow-up ranged from 0 to 46 months (median, 3 months; interquartile range, 3 months). Failure was observed in 2.3% of rMUS placed alone and 8.6% of rMUS with RSC. Patients who underwent rMUS and RSC had an odds ratio of 3.63 for rMUS failure (P = 0.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-11.38). Hypertension was associated with 4 times higher rMUS failure (odds ratio, 4.18; P = 0.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-13.58). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a significantly increased rate of rMUS failure from those placed alone to those placed at the time of RSC. Retropubic midurethral sling at the time of RSC was 4 times more likely to result in additional SUI treatment.

Short-Term Urinary Retention After Tension-Free Vaginal Tape Midurethral Sling Performed Alone or as a Concomitant Procedure.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine whether a difference exists in short-term urinary retention after tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) midurethral sling placement when performed alone compared with when placed during a concomitant prolapse procedure. METHODS: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study that compared TVT procedures performed alone (group 1) to those with a concomitant prolapse procedure (group 2). The primary outcome was the proportion of patients discharged with an indwelling Foley catheter after failing postoperative voiding trial. RESULTS: There were 100 women in group 1 and 267 women in group 2. Concomitant prolapse procedures included vaginal approach (n = 47), robotic (n = 218), or both (n = 2). Forty-nine patients (13.4%) failed the initial voiding trial and 21 patients (5.7%) were discharged with an indwelling Foley catheter. The rate of short-term urinary retention requiring an indwelling catheter at discharge was not significantly different between group 1 and group 2 (9 [9.0%] vs 12 [4.5%], P = 0.1). The duration of catheterization after discharge was shorter in group 1 compared with group 2 (2.1 ± 1.1 vs 4.3 ± 2.0 days, P = 0.008). In multivariate analysis, patients discharged with a catheter were more likely to have diabetes with an odds ratio of 3.1 (95th confidence interval, 1.2-8.1). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of patients discharged with an indwelling catheter did not significantly differ if TVT was performed alone or at the time of a concomitant prolapse procedure (9.0% vs 4.5%, P = 0.1).

Minimally invasive hysterectomy for benign indications-surgical volume matters: a retrospective cohort study comparing complications of robotic-assisted and conventional laparoscopic hysterectomies.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of perioperative complications in robotic-assisted hysterectomies performed by high-volume robotic surgeons compared to conventional laparoscopic hysterectomies performed by all gynecologic surgeons. This retrospective cohort study was performed at a single-center community based hospital and medical center. A total of 332 patients who underwent hysterectomy for benign indications were included in this study. Half of these patients (n = 166) underwent conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy and the other half underwent a robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy. The main outcome measures included composite complication rate, estimated blood loss (EBL), and hospital length of stay (LOS). Median (IQR) EBL was significantly lower for robotic hysterectomy [22.5 (30) mL] compared to laparoscopic hysterectomy [100 (150) mL, p < 0.0001]. LOS was significantly shorter for robotic hysterectomy (1.0 ± 0.2 day) compared to laparoscopic hysterectomy (1.2 ± 0.7 days, p = 0.04). Despite averaging 3.0 (IQR 1.0) concomitant procedures compared to 0 (IQR 1.0) for the conventional laparoscopic hysterectomies, the incidence of any type of complication was lower in the robotic hysterectomy group (2 vs. 6%, p = 0.05). Finally, in a logistic regression model controlling for multiple confounders, robotic-assisted hysterectomy was less likely to result in a perioperative complication compared to traditional laparoscopic hysterectomy [odds ratio (95% CI) = 0.2 (0.1, 0.90), p = 0.04]. In conclusion, robotic-assisted hysterectomy may reduce complications compared with conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy when performed by high volume surgeons, especially in the setting of other concomitant gynecologic surgeries.