Perioperative Morbidity of Open vs Minimally Invasive Partial Nephrectomy: A Contemporary Analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program

Introduction and Objectives: In recent years, there has been a shift to minimally invasive partial nephrectomy (MIPN) with the dissemination of robot-assisted technology. However, contemporary data on the comparative morbidity of open partial nephrectomy (OPN) and MIPN are lacking. We, therefore, evaluated the perioperative morbidity of OPN and MIPN using a contemporary national cohort. Methods: We identified 13,658 patients aged 18 to 89 who underwent PN from 2010 to 2015 in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database, of whom 9018 (66.0%) underwent MIPN. The associations of MIPN with 30-day morbidity were evaluated using logistic regression, adjusted for patient features. Results: Median age at surgery was 60 (interquartile range [IQR] 51, 68) years. Overall, 30-day complications occurred in 6.7% of patients. Compared with OPN, MIPN was associated with lower rates of 30-day complications (4.9% vs 10.1%, p<0.0001), perioperative blood transfusion (3.8% vs 12.5%, p<0.0001), prolonged hospitalization (5.6% vs 23.4%, p<0.0001), readmission (4.4% vs 7.8%, p<0.0001), reoperation (1.8% vs 3.2%, p<0.0001), and 30-day mortality (0.3% vs 0.6%, p=0.001). On multivariable analysis, MIPN was independently associated with a reduced risk of 30-day complications (odds ratio [OR] 0.46, p<0.0001), perioperative blood transfusion (OR 0.27, p<0.0001), prolonged hospitalization (OR 0.19, p<0.0001), readmission (OR 0.59, p<0.0001), and reoperation (OR 0.57, p<0.0001). Postoperative complications occurred predominantly early after surgery, whereas hospital readmissions and reoperation occurred at a consistent rate. Conclusions: In this contemporary national cohort, MIPN was independently associated with reduced rates of 30-day complications, perioperative blood transfusion, prolonged hospitalization, hospital readmission, and reoperation, compared with OPN.