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Objective: To assess whether a superior hypogastric plexus block performed during laparoscopic hysterectomy reduces postoperative pain., Methods: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, single-blind, controlled trial of superior hypogastric plexus block at the start of laparoscopic hysterectomy. Women undergoing a laparoscopic hysterectomy for any indication and with any other concomitant laparoscopic procedure were eligible. Standardized preoperative medications and incisional analgesia were provided to all patients. Our primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a mean visual analog scale (VAS) pain score lower than 4 within 2 hours postoperatively. Patients but not surgeons were blinded to the treatment group. Twenty-nine patients per group was estimated to be sufficient to detect a 38% absolute difference in the proportion of patients with a VAS score lower than 4 at 2 hours postoperatively, with 80% power and an α of 0.05. To account for loss to follow-up and potential imbalances in patient characteristics, we planned to enroll 50 patients per group. All analyses were intention to treat., Results: Between January 2018 and February 2019, 186 patients were eligible; 100 were randomized and analyzed. Demographic and clinical characteristics were similar between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients with a mean VAS score lower than 4 within 2 hours postoperatively between patients who received a superior hypogastric plexus block (57%) and patients who did not (43%) (odds ratio 1.63, 95% CI 0.74-3.59; adjusted odds ratio 1.84, 95% CI 0.75-4.51)., Conclusion: Among patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy with standardized enhanced perioperative recovery pathways, superior hypogastric plexus block did not significantly reduce postoperative pain., Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03283436., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Michelle Louie disclosed receiving funds from Hologic. Gaby Moawad reports receiving funds from Intuitive Surgical outside the submitted work. Sarah Cohen was an Advisory Board Member for Myovant (2020) and Boston Scientific (2018). Erin Carey reports money was paid to her institution for expert testimony and money was paid to her from Med IQ and Teleflex Surgical. The other authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To report the frequency of perioperative antibiotic use at time of myomectomy and associated risk of infectious outcomes., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all women who underwent any route of myomectomy from 2009 to 2016 at two academic hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts. Cases involving chromopertubation or conversion to hysterectomy were excluded from further analysis. Medical records were queried for the use or nonuse of perioperative antibiotics, as well as baseline patient factors and perioperative outcomes. Statistical analyses included univariate comparisons between treatment groups, as well as multivariable logistic regression analyses of infectious morbidity controlling for patient age, route of surgery, presence of high-risk factors, any intraoperative complication, myoma weight, and entrance into the endometrial cavity. Matched cohort analysis also was performed to confirm findings in the setting of underlying differences between groups., Results: A total of 1,211 patients were included in the myomectomy cohort, 92.7% of whom received perioperative antibiotics at the time of surgery. Demographic characteristics were similar between the group that received and the group that did not receive antibiotics. The cases with antibiotic use were associated with longer operative times, higher estimated blood loss, and greater myoma burden. No difference was noted with regard to intraoperative or postoperative complications. Surgical site infection occurred more commonly in the group that did not receive antibiotics (2.9% vs 6.8% in the antibiotic and no-antibiotic groups, respectively; effect size 0.43, 95% CI 0.18-0.97 P=.04), representing a nearly fourfold increase in odds of any surgical site infection in the absence of perioperative antibiotic use (adjusted odds ratio 3.77, 95% CI 1.30-10.97, P=.015)., Conclusion: A high frequency of antibiotic use was noted at time of myomectomy, despite lack of clear evidence supporting the practice. Patients who received perioperative antibiotics had fewer postoperative infectious outcomes and, in particular, experienced a lower incidence of surgical site infection.

Objective: To estimate the number of outpatient hysterectomies being performed annually in the United States in an effort to offer more correct estimates of hysterectomy use in light of reported decreasing inpatient case volume., Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Databases from 16 states with complete information for year 2011. Adult women undergoing hysterectomy were included. Procedure volume, route, and associated patient and surgical characteristics were calculated., Results: There were 64,612 ambulatory hysterectomies reported; 81.5% of surgeries were performed laparoscopically and 16% vaginally. If these numbers are extrapolated to national estimates, this represents 100,000-200,000 outpatient hysterectomies per year. The strongest driver of the laparoscopic, compared with vaginal, route of hysterectomy in this data set was presence of cancer (odds ratio 4.01 [3.19-5.05], P<.001). In addition to indication for surgery, patient characteristics such as age, race, income, location, and primary payer were associated with mode of hysterectomy. The laparoscopic surgeries were associated with shorter length of stay (mean stay 0.65 days, [99% confidence interval 0.65-0.66] compared with 0.79 days [0.78-0.81], adjusted incidence rate ratio 0.89 [0.86-0.92], P<.001) and higher mean charges ($24,227 [$24,053-24,402] versus $14,068 [$13,811-14,330], P<.001) compared with vaginal surgeries., Conclusion: The perceived decline that has been reported in national hysterectomy volume may represent lack of reporting of surgeries performed in ambulatory settings. This information has considerable implications for business, public health interventions, and insurance carriers among other key stakeholders in women's health care delivery.