Rich JM, Garden EB, Arroyave JS, Elkun Y, Ranti D, Pfail JL, Klahr R, Omidele OO, Adams-Sommer V, Patel G, Schaefer SH, Brown C, Badani K, Lavallee E, Mehrazin R, Attalla K, Waingankar N, Wiklund P, and Sfakianos JP
Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has significantly decreased the morbidity associated with radical cystectomy. However, infectious complications including sepsis, urinary tract (UTIs), wound (WIs), and intra-abdominal (AIs) infections remain common., Objective: To assess whether intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) and antibiogram-directed antimicrobial prophylaxis would decrease infections after robotic-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC)., Design, Setting, and Participants: A retrospective analysis was performed of a prospectively maintained database of patients undergoing RARC between 2014 and 2022 at a tertiary care institution, identifying two groups based on adherence to a prospectively implemented modified ERAS protocol for RARC: modified-ERAS-ICUD and antibiogram-directed ampicillin-sulbactam, gentamicin, and fluconazole prophylaxis were utilized (from January 2019 to present time), and unmodified-ERAS-extracorporeal urinary diversion (UD) and guideline-recommended cephalosporin-based prophylaxis regimen were utilized (from November 2014 to June 2018). Patients receiving other prophylaxis regimens were excluded., Intervention: ICUD and antibiogram-directed infectious prophylaxis., Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: The primary outcome was UTIs within 30 and 90 d postoperatively. The secondary outcomes were WIs, AIs, and sepsis within 30 and 90 d postoperatively, and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) within 90 d postoperatively., Results and Limitations: A total of 396 patients were studied (modified-ERAS: 258 [65.2%], unmodified-ERAS: 138 [34.8%]). UD via a neobladder was more common in the modified-ERAS cohort; all other intercohort demographic differences were not statistically different. Comparing cohorts, modified-ERAS had significantly reduced rates of 30-d (7.8% vs 15.9%, p = 0.027) and 90-d UTIs (11.2% vs 25.4%, p = 0.001), and 30-d WIs (1.2% vs. 8.7%, p < 0.001); neither group had a WI after 30 d. Rates of AIs, sepsis, and CDI did not differ between groups. On multivariate regression, the modified-ERAS protocol correlated with a reduced risk of UTIs and WIs (all p < 0.01). The primary limitation is the retrospective study design., Conclusions: Utilization of ICUD and antibiogram-based prophylaxis correlates with significantly decreased UTIs and WIs after RARC., Patient Summary: In this study of infections after robotic radical cystectomy for bladder cancer, we found that intracorporeal (performed entirely inside the body) urinary diversion and an institution-specific antibiogram-directed antibiotic prophylaxis regimen led to fewer urinary tract infections and wound infections at our institution., (Copyright © 2023 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)