The impact of surgical duration on complications after transurethral resection of the prostate: an analysis of NSQIP data.

BACKGROUND: Transurethral resection of the prostate is the most commonly performed procedure for the management of benign prostatic obstruction. However, little is known about the effect surgical duration has on complications. We assess the relationship between operative time and TURP complications using a modern national surgical registry. METHODS: We queried the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) from 2006 to 2016 for patients undergoing TURP. Patients were separated into five groups based on operative time: 0-30 min, 30.1-60 min, 60.1-90 min, 90.1-120 min, and greater than 120 min. Standard statistical analysis, including multivariate regression, was performed to determine factors associated with complications. RESULTS: 31,813 patients who underwent TURP were included. The overall complication rate was 9.0% and increased significantly with longer surgical duration (p < 0.001). Longer operative time was associated with a greater risk of postoperative sepsis or shock, transfusion, reoperation, and deep vein thrombus or pulmonary embolism. Longer surgical duration was associated with increased odds of any complication and, specifically, blood transfusion after controlling for age, race, comorbidities, American Society of Anesthesia (ASA) class, type of anesthesia administered, and trainee involvement. The adjusted risk of each of the above complications remained significantly increased for surgeries lasting longer than 120 min. CONCLUSIONS: As surgical duration increases, there is a significant increase in the rate of complications after TURP. These data demonstrate that this procedure is safest when performed in under 90 min.

Empiric antibiotics for an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level: a randomised, prospective, controlled multi-institutional trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of empiric antibiotics on men with an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS AND METHODS: Men of any age with a PSA level of >2.5 ng/mL and normal digital rectal examination undergoing their first prostate biopsy were recruited from five medical centres. Patients with previous biopsy, prostate cancer, urinary tract infection (UTI) or prostatitis within the prior year, antibiotic use within 1 month, 5α-reductase inhibitor use, allergy to fluoroquinolones or clinical suspicion of UTI were excluded. Men were randomised to 2 weeks of ciprofloxacin or no antibiotic. A PSA measurement was obtained 21-45 days after randomisation immediately before prostate biopsy. The primary endpoint was the change in PSA level between baseline and immediately before biopsy. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 77 men with a mean (interquartile range) age of 60.6 (53-66) years. In the control group of men not receiving antibiotic (39 men), the mean baseline and pre-biopsy PSA levels were 6.5 and 6.9 ng/mL, respectively (P = 0.8). In men receiving ciprofloxacin (38 men), the mean baseline PSA level was 7.6 ng/mL and after 2 weeks of ciprofloxacin was 8.5 ng/mL (P = 0.7). Compared with controls not receiving antibiotic, use of ciprofloxacin was not associated with a statistically significant change in PSA level (P = 0.33). Prostate cancer was detected in 36 (47%) men, 23 (59%) in the control group and 13 (34%) in the antibiotic group (P = 0.04). Detection rates were not significantly associated with the change in PSA level between baseline and biopsy. The primary limitation of the study is early stoppage due to an interim futility analysis and poor accrual. CONCLUSION: Despite not meeting the target accrual goal, empiric use of antibiotics for asymptomatic men with an elevated PSA level does not appear to be of clinical benefit.

Delayed diagnosis of prostate cancer with neuroendocrine differentiation after laser TURP.

Laser transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is becoming widely used for surgical management of lower urinary tract symptoms from benign prostatic hyperplasia. Yet, one drawback to laser vaporization is the lack of a prostatic tissue sample for pathologic evaluation. We report the case of a 57-year-old man who presented with urinary obstruction, a normal digital rectal examination and a prostate-specific antigen level of 0.44 ng/mL. The patient then underwent transrectal ultrasonography to determine the size of his prostate (60 g). On the basis of these normal findings, laser TURP was performed. The patient's symptoms did not improve after the procedure, and cystoscopy confirmed continued prostatic obstruction. The patient subsequently underwent bipolar TURP, and the pathologic examination of the prostate chips revealed highly aggressive prostate adenocarcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. We discuss the potential drawbacks of laser TURP in the diagnosis of clinically undetectable prostate cancer.