Propensity-score matched comparison of complications, blood transfusions, length of stay, and in-hospital mortality between open and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: a national series

Abstract

Background: To examine the use of open partial nephrectomy (OPN) and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN), as well as intraoperative and postoperative morbidity.

Materials and methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for years 1998-2007. Patients with non-metastatic kidney cancer who underwent OPN or LPN were identified. Propensity-based matching was performed to adjust for potential baseline differences between the two groups. The rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications, blood transfusions, length of stay, and in-hospital mortality were assessed for both procedures.

Results: Overall, 7990 (93.9%) and 523 (6.1%) patients underwent OPN and LPN, respectively. Use of LPN increased 19-fold over the study period (P < 0.001). For OPN and LPN respectively, the following rates were recorded: blood transfusions, 9.3 vs. 3.8% (P < 0.001); intraoperative complications, 2.9 vs. 1.5% (P = 0.06); postoperative complications, 15.4 vs. 11.3% (P = 0.01); length of stay ≥5 days, 46.7 vs. 20.8% (P < 0.001); in-hospital mortality, 0.4 vs. 0.4% (P = 0.98). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, LPN patients were less likely to have a blood transfusion (odds ratio [OR]: 0.40, P < 0.001), to experience any postoperative complication (OR: 0.74, P = 0.03), and to be hospitalized for more than 5 days (OR: 0.32, P < 0.001). Post-propensity score matched analyses revealed virtually the same results.

Conclusions: After adjustment for potential selection biases, LPN is associated with fewer adverse outcomes than OPN. However, the current results should be interpreted with caution, given the lack of tumor characteristics. Furthermore, statistical adjustment is not a substitute for a needed randomized trial.