Nephrectomy is Associated with Increased Mortality after Renal Trauma: An Analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank from 2007-2016.

PURPOSE: The majority of high grade renal trauma can be managed conservatively. However, nephrectomy is still common for acute management. We hypothesized that when controlling for multiple injury severity measures, nephrectomy would be associated with increased mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified high grade renal trauma patients from the National Trauma Data Bank® from 2007-2016. Exclusion criteria were age <18 years, severe head injury and death within 4 hours of admission. We performed conditional logistic regression analysis to determine if nephrectomy was independently associated with mortality, controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, mechanism of injury, shock, blood transfusion, Glasgow Coma Scale, Revised Trauma Score and Injury Severity Score. Interaction was measured for mechanism of injury and shock with mortality. RESULTS: We identified 42,898 patients with high grade renal trauma (grade III-V), of whom 3,204 (7.5%) underwent nephrectomy. Unadjusted mortality was 16.6% in nephrectomy vs 5.7% in nonnephrectomy patients. In multivariable logistic regression, nephrectomy was associated with 82% increased odds of death (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.63-2.03, p <0.001). Other significant associations with death included age, nonWhite race, penetrating mechanism, hypotension, blood transfusion, lower Glasgow Coma Scale, lower Revised Trauma Score and higher Injury Severity Score. The association between nephrectomy and death did not differ by mechanism of injury. However, it was slightly attenuated in patients presenting in shock. CONCLUSIONS: In the National Trauma Data Bank, nephrectomy is independently associated with increased risk of mortality after adjusting for patient demographics, injury characteristics and multiple measures of overall injury severity. Nephrectomy may impact overall survival and must be avoided when possible.

Current Management of Extraperitoneal Bladder Injuries: Results from the Multi-Institutional Genito-Urinary Trauma Study (MiGUTS).

PURPOSE: We studied the current management trends for extraperitoneal bladder injuries and evaluated the use of operative repair versus catheter drainage, and the associated complications with each approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively collected data on bladder trauma from 20 level 1 trauma centers across the United States from 2013 to 2018. We excluded patients with intraperitoneal bladder injury and those who died within 24 hours of hospital arrival. We separated patients with extraperitoneal bladder injuries into 2 groups (catheter drainage vs operative repair) based on their initial management within the first 4 days and compared the rates of bladder injury related complications among them. Regression analyses were used to identify potential predictors of complications. RESULTS: From 323 bladder injuries we included 157 patients with extraperitoneal bladder injuries. Concomitant injuries occurred in 139 (88%) patients with pelvic fracture seen in 79%. Sixty-seven patients (43%) initially underwent operative repair for their extraperitoneal bladder injuries. The 3 most common reasons for operative repair were severity of injury or bladder neck injury (40%), injury found during laparotomy (39%) and concern for pelvic hardware contamination (28%). Significant complications were identified in 23% and 19% of the catheter drainage and operative repair groups, respectively (p=0.55). The only statistically significant predictor for complications was bladder neck or urethral injury (RR 2.69, 95% 1.21-5.97, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this large multi-institutional cohort, 43% of patients underwent surgical repair for initial management of extraperitoneal bladder injuries. We found no significant difference in complications between the initial management strategies of catheter drainage and operative repair. The most significant predictor for complications was concomitant urethral or bladder neck injury.

Combining Drive Time and Urologist Density to Understand Access to Urologic Care.

OBJECTIVE: To improve our understanding of timely access to urologic care, we leveraged driving time combined with a measure of urologist density. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified all urologists who billed Medicare using National Provider Identifier in 2015 and geocoded their practice location. We developed drive-time based service areas for each provider using Esri's street network dataset stratified into 30, 60, 90, and 120-minute areas. Population characteristics were aggregated and block groups were assigned to a Hospital Referral Region. RESULTS: We identified 10,170 urologists that billed Medicare in 2015 in the United States. Compared to the northeast, vast expanses of land across the western United States have drive times to urology care >60 minutes. However, less than 13% of the US population is unable to obtain urologic care within 30 minutes. Likely reflecting rural populations, White and American Indian populations are represented in greater proportion among those requiring a longer drive time to urologic care. Disparities were noted between areas with timely access to a high versus low density of urologists; low density areas have a greater proportion of Black and Asian populations and greater income inequality. CONCLUSIONS: Drive time to urologists combined with urologist density is a novel approach to investigating urologic care access and a tool for health disparities research. While almost all of the US population lives within 1-hour drive time to a urologist there remains important differences in the population severed by high compared to low provider density.

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma renal injury grading scale: Implications of the 2018 revisions for injury reclassification and predicting bleeding interventions.

BACKGROUND: In 2018, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) published revisions to the renal injury grading system to reflect the increased reliance on computed tomography scans and non-operative management of high-grade renal trauma (HGRT). We aimed to evaluate how these revisions will change the grading of HGRT and if it outperforms the original 1989 grading in predicting bleeding control interventions. METHODS: Data on HGRT were collected from 14 Level-1 trauma centers from 2014 to 2017. Patients with initial computed tomography scans were included. Two radiologists reviewed the scans to regrade the injuries according to the 1989 and 2018 AAST grading systems. Descriptive statistics were used to assess grade reclassifications. Mixed-effect multivariable logistic regression was used to measure the predictive ability of each grading system. The areas under the curves were compared. RESULTS: Of the 322 injuries included, 27.0% were upgraded, 3.4% were downgraded, and 69.5% remained unchanged. Of the injuries graded as III or lower using the 1989 AAST, 33.5% were upgraded to grade IV using the 2018 AAST. Of the grade V injuries, 58.8% were downgraded using the 2018 AAST. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall areas under the curves between the 2018 and 1989 AAST grading system for predicting bleeding interventions (0.72 vs. 0.68, p = 0.34). CONCLUSION: About one third of the injuries previously classified as grade III will be upgraded to grade IV using the 2018 AAST, which adds to the heterogeneity of grade IV injuries. Although the 2018 AAST grading provides more anatomic details on injury patterns and includes important radiologic findings, it did not outperform the 1989 AAST grading in predicting bleeding interventions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and Epidemiological Study, level III.

High grade renal trauma management: a survey of practice patterns and the perceived need for a prospective management trial.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the current practice patterns of practitioners managing high grade renal trauma and determine perceived need for a prospective trial on the management of renal trauma. METHODS: We distributed an electronic survey to members of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) and The Society of Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgeons (GURS). The survey evaluated demographics, interventional radiology (IR) access, and renal trauma management. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze participants' responses. RESULTS: A total of 253 practitioners responded (age 48.4±10.4 years). The majority were acute care/trauma surgeons (ACS/TS) (63.2%), followed by urologists (34.4%) practicing at level 1 trauma centers (80.6%) in 39 US states. Most participants were in practice >10 years (62.8%); and had completed an ACS/TS (53.8%), or trauma/reconstructive urology (25.7%) fellowship. Ninety-five percent (241/253) found value in renal preservation with 74% utilizing IR embolization in the last year. However, there was wide variation in threshold for angiography, low rates of renal repair (24%) or packing (20%) and half reported performing a nephrectomy within the prior year. More than 80% believed there was value in a prospective trial to evaluate a protocol to decrease nephrectomy rates in renal trauma management. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of respondents had access to IR, reported comfort in renorrhaphy, and valued renal preservation. There was variation in thresholds for bleeding intervention, and nephrectomy was still a common management strategy. There is great interest among trauma surgeons and urologists for a prospective trial of renal trauma management aimed at decreasing nephrectomy when possible.

Erectile dysfunction management after failed phosphodiesterase-5-inhibitor trial: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of alternate erectile dysfunction (ED) management options after failed first line phosphodiesterase-5-inhibitors (PDE5-I). METHODS: An empiric, repetitive decision tree analysis model was constructed using literature review and expert clinical judgement. This assessed the expected costs and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) of decision alternatives over a 10-year period. The model incorporated interventions including alternate PDE5-Is, intracorporal injections (ICI) with alprostadil or trimix (alprostadil, phentolamine, and papaverine), and inflatable penile prosthesis placement (IPP) and included respective risks of failure, subsequent interventions, and other complications (including priapism risk). Average model QALY estimates obtained from the literature were as follows: ED =0.56, successful alternate PDE5-I =0.70, successful ICI =0.70, and successful IPP =0.78. Cost data were calculated from a high-volume academic center and published manufacturer data. RESULTS: Over the 10-year period, IPP placement was the most cost-effective management option per preserved QALY (QALY =7.82, cost =$22,009/10 years) as compared to ICI alprostadil (QALY =8.51, cost =$62,890/10 years), ICI trimix (QALY =8.47, cost =$48,617/10 years) and alternate PDE5-I (QALY =7.73, $52,883/10 years). CONCLUSIONS: Using expert opinion and published utility, cost, and complication data in a decision analysis, we demonstrated that IPP placement is the most cost-effective ED intervention following failed initial PDE5-I over a 10-year period as compared to alternate treatment options. Such cost-effectiveness outcomes may be used in ED management counseling.

Diagnosis and management of urinary extravasation after high-grade renal trauma.

Renal trauma research has historically focused on parenchymal injuries and the risk of bleeding. However, much less is known about the diagnosis and optimal management of urinary extravasation, which complicates ~30% of high-grade renal injuries. Immediate or delayed ureteral stenting is the most common procedure used to treat collecting system injuries when intervention is needed. However, the lack of evidence-based guidelines leaves the diagnosis and management of urinary extravasation largely dependent upon physicians' experience, initial and follow-up imaging protocols, and the definitions used for grading the injuries. The knowledge gaps in the management of urinary extravasation that need to be addressed include the timing of excretory-phase CT imaging, patterns of clinically significant urinary extravasation, predictors of complications when urinary extravasation occurs, protocols for obtaining and interpreting follow-up imaging, and the role of ureteral stenting and other interventions in management. To improve the management of urinary extravasation after high-grade renal trauma, large, multi-institutional prospective trails assessing different diagnostic and therapeutic protocols are needed.

Incidence of urinary extravasation and rate of ureteral stenting after high-grade renal trauma in adults: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Collecting system injury and urinary extravasation is an important yet understudied aspect of renal trauma. We aimed to examine the incidence of urinary extravasation and also the rates of ureteral stenting after high-grade renal trauma (HGRT) in adults. METHODS: A search strategy was developed to search Ovid Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library. Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts, followed by full-text review of the relevant publications. Studies were included if they indicated the number of patients with HGRT [the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grades III-IV or equivalents] and number of patients with urinary extravasation. A descriptive meta-analysis of binary proportions was performed with random-effects model to calculate the incidence of urinary extravasation and rates of ureteral stenting. RESULTS: After screening, 24 and 20 studies were included for calculating urinary extravasation and stenting rates, respectively. Most studies involved blunt injury and were retrospective single-center case series. Incidence of urinary extravasation was 29% (95% CI: 17-42%) after HGRT (grade III-V), and 51% (95% CI: 38-64%) when only grade IV-V injuries were combined. Overall, 29% (95% CI: 22-36%) of patients with urinary extravasation underwent ureteral stenting. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 30% of patients with HGRT are diagnosed with urinary extravasation and 29% of those with urinary extravasation undergo ureteral stenting. Understanding the rate of urinary extravasation and interventions is the first step in creating a prospective trial designed to demonstrate when ureteral stenting and aggressive management of urinary extravasation is needed.

Do paternal semen parameters influence the birth weight or BMI of the offspring? A study from the Utah Population Database.

PURPOSE: To study the role of individual semen parameters on the offspring birth weight and body mass index (BMI) from a population of men evaluated in an assisted reproduction technology (ART) clinic compared to fertile controls. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study using a cohort with fertile, age-matched controls of men evaluated with semen analysis at the University of Utah Andrology Clinic from 1996 to 2011 and Intermountain Healthcare from 2002 to 2011. We use the offspring from both our sub-fertile cohort and controls using the Utah Population Database. The two main outcomes of interest were offspring birth weight and adolescent BMI. RESULTS: The offspring of men with impaired sperm parameters had significantly lower birth weight compared to fertile control offspring. Low-concentration offspring weighed 158 g less (95% CI - 278~- 38; p = 0.01), low total count weighed 172 g less (95% CI - 294~- 51; p = 0.005), and low total motility weighed 155 g less (95% CI - 241~- 69; p < 0.001) compared to those of the controls. When we controlled for the use of ART within the sub-fertile group, we found that there was a significant trend of increasing birth weight across levels of total motile count and total sperm count compared to the azoospermic group. We did not find any consistent significant differences between the subject and control adolescence BMI based on semen parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Despite limitations within our population-based dataset, we found that poor quality semen analysis parameters pointed towards an association with low birth weight in the offspring of sub-fertile men compared to the offspring of normal fertile controls. However, in contrast to studies of ART effects on offspring, we did not find evidence of long-term associations between semen quality and offspring BMI.

Childhood Cancer Risk in the Siblings and Cousins of Men with Poor Semen Quality.

PURPOSE: Poor semen quality is associated with reduced somatic health and increased cancer risk. Infertility and cancer are increasingly being linked by epidemiologists and basic scientists. We sought to identify semen parameters associated with an increased childhood cancer risk in the family members of subfertile men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study in men from the SHARE (Subfertility Heath and Assisted Reproduction) study who underwent semen analysis between 1994 and 2011. We used fertile population controls from the Utah Population Data Base. Our primary outcome was the risk of any childhood (18 years or younger) cancer in the siblings and cousins of men who underwent semen analysis compared to fertile, age matched controls. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to test the association between semen quality and childhood cancer incidence. RESULTS: We selected 10,511 men with complete semen analysis and an equal number of fertile controls. These men had a total of 63,891 siblings and 327,753 cousins. A total of 170 and 958 childhood cancers were identified in siblings and cousins, respectively. The 3 most common cancers diagnosed in siblings were acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 37, brain cancer in 35 and Hodgkin lymphoma in 15. Oligozoospermia was associated with a twofold increased risk of any childhood cancer and a threefold increased risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the siblings of subfertile men compared to fertile controls (HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.18-3.69 vs HR 3.07, 95% CI 1.11-8.46). CONCLUSIONS: Siblings of men with oligozoospermia are at increased risk for any-site cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This suggests a shared genetic/epigenetic insult or an environmental exposure that merits further investigation.

Risk of childhood mortality in family members of men with poor semen quality.

STUDY QUESTION: What is the familial childhood mortality in first-degree (FDR) and second-degree relatives (SDR) of patients undergoing semen analysis (SA)? SUMMARY ANSWER: The relationship between infertility and congenital malformations (CM) in offspring is complex, with an increased risk of death due to CM in FDR, but not SDR, of men with lower semen parameters. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Semen quality is an established predictor of men's somatic health. We can gain a better understanding of possible genetic or environmental determinants of the infertility phenotype by exploring familial aggregation of childhood mortality in relatives of men with poor semen quality. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Retrospective cohort study from the Subfertility, Health and Assisted Reproduction study (cohort compiled 1996-2011) linked with patient/familial information from the Utah Population Database (UPDB). Index cases included a clinic-referred sample of 12 889 men who underwent SA and had adequate familial and follow-up data in the UPDB. Parameters of semen quality included: semen concentration, sperm count, motility, total motile count, sperm head morphology, sperm tail morphology and vitality. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: SA data were collected from two tertiary medical center andrology laboratories that have captured ~90% of all SA performed in Utah since 2004. Age- and sex-matched fertile controls were selected to create the comparison group for determining risk of childhood death (to age 20 years) in family members. A total of 79 750 siblings and 160 016 aunts/uncles were used to investigate the familial aggregation of childhood mortality. The main outcome was childhood mortality in FDR and SDR of men with SA and their matched controls. All-cause and cause-specific Cox proportional hazard models were used to test the association between semen quality and childhood mortality in family members. Cause-specific models were considered for cancer and CM. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: In the cohort of men with SA, there were 406 (1.0%) deaths in FDR and 772 (1.1%) deaths in SDR due to any cause. There was no significant difference in the risk of all-cause childhood mortality between the relatives of men with SA and the fertile control group [hazard ratio (HR)Female = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.88, 1.32; HRMale = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.75, 1.04]. We found no association between semen quality and risk for childhood cancer mortality in FDR or SDR (HRFDR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.62, 1.54; HRSDR = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.83, 1.50). The FDR of men with SA and fertile controls were followed on average for 19.71 and 19.73 years, respectively. During this period of follow-up, FDR of men with SA had an unadjusted 40% relative risk of increased CM-related death. After stratifying by semen parameters and adjusting for birth year, we found FDR of men with worse semen quality, and notably azoospermic men (HR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.24,5.84), were at higher risk of CM-related death. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION: A large proportion of men with SA in the study had normal semen parameters. It is important to note that these men themselves may not be subfertile, but they were subfertile at the couple level (i.e. the female partner may be infertile). In addition, care is needed when interpreting our results, as we do not have semen measures on our sample of fertile men. Second, we were unable to include potential confounders such as medical comorbidities, smoking status, or environmental exposures. Third, men with SA were seen at the University of Utah or Intermountain Health Care clinics for a fertility evaluation thereby suggesting a more select population. Fourth, we chose to categorize morphology into equally distributed quartiles as a response to the fact that the World Health Organization threshold for normal motility changed multiple times during our study period. Lastly, we do not know the proportion of female partners with diagnosed infertility. We chose not to subcategorize each infertile male by infertile diagnosis because our goal was to understand how semen parameters influenced familial childhood mortality. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: We are not the first study to show a relationship between fertility and CMs. Children conceived through ART may be at higher risk of birth defects, however it is not known if the relationship is causal or if there is some underlying factor linking infertility and birth outcomes. This study provides further evidence that the increased risk of congenital birth defects may not be due to the ART, but rather genetic or environmental factors that link the two outcomes. We encourage further research in order to confirm a relationship between semen quality and increased risk for CM. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health - National Institute of Aging [Grant numbers 1R21AG036938-01, 2R01 AG022095 and 1K12HD085852-01]. Authors have no competing interests to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Not applicable.

Cancer risk in first- and second-degree relatives of men with poor semen quality.

OBJECTIVE: To further characterize the association of male infertility with health risks by evaluating semen quality and cancer risk in family members. DESIGN: Retrospective, cohort study. SETTING: Not applicable. PATIENT(S): A total of 12,889 men undergoing SA and 12,889 fertile control subjects that had first-degree relative (FDR) data (n = 130,689) and 8,032 men with SA and 8,032 fertile control subjects with complete second-degree relative (SDR) data (n = 247,204) were identified through the UPDB. An equal number of fertile population control subjects were matched. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Adult all-site, testicular, thyroid, breast, prostate, melanoma, bladder, ovarian, and kidney cancer diagnoses in FDRs and SDRs. RESULT(S): The FDRs of men with SA had a 52% increased risk of testicular cancer compared with the FDRs of fertile population control subjects. There was no significant difference in testicular cancer risk for the SDRs based on any of the semen parameters. The FDRs and SDRs of azoospermic men had a significantly increased risk of thyroid cancer compared with fertile population control subjects. CONCLUSION(S): These data suggest a link between male infertility and selected cancer risk in relatives. This highlights the possibilities of shared biologic mechanisms between the two diseases, exposure to environmental factors, and an increased level of genetic and/or epigenetic burden in subfertile men and their relatives that may be associated with risk of cancer.

Subfertility increases risk of testicular cancer: evidence from population-based semen samples.

OBJECTIVE: To further understand the association between semen quality and cancer risk by means of well defined semen parameters. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Not applicable. PATIENT(S): A total of 20,433 men who underwent semen analysis (SA) and a sample of 20,433 fertile control subjects matched by age and birth year. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Risk of all cancers as well as site-specific results for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and melanoma. RESULT(S): Compared with fertile men, men with SA had an increased risk of testicular cancer (hazard rate [HR] 3.3). When the characterization of infertility was refined using individual semen parameters, we found that oligozoospermic men had an increased risk of cancer compared with fertile control subjects. This association was particularly strong for testicular cancer, with increased risk in men with oligozoospermia based on concentration (HR 11.9) and on sperm count (HR 10.3). Men in the in the lowest quartile of motility (HR 4.1), viability (HR 6.6), morphology (HR 4.2), or total motile count (HR 6.9) had higher risk of testicular cancer compared with fertile men. Men with sperm concentration and count in the 90th percentiles of the distribution (≥178 and ≥579 × 10(6)/mL, respectively), as well as total motile count, had an increased risk of melanoma (HRs 2.1, 2.7, and 2.0, respectively). We found no differences in cancer risk between azoospermic and fertile men. CONCLUSION(S): Men with SA had an increased risk of testicular cancer which varied by semen quality. Unlike earlier work, we did not find an association between azoospermia and increased cancer risk.

The incidence of long-term hypertension in children after high-grade renal trauma.

INTRODUCTION: It is generally accepted that there is a risk of hypertension after renal trauma, particularly in high-grade and devascularizing injuries. Hypertension following renal trauma is estimated to occur in five percent of adults, however, the incidence is unknown in the pediatric population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of all pediatric trauma patients at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah between 2002 and 2012. We included all children age ≤17years old with American Association for Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grade 3-5 renal injury. Hypertension was defined as persistent hypertension that required anti-hypertensive medications. Our primary outcomes were incidence of hypertension during the acute trauma and in long-term follow. RESULTS: A total of 62 children were identified with AAST grade 3-5 renal injuries during our study period. Follow up blood pressures were recorded in 36 (58%) of these children with a median follow of 4.1years (IQR 2.1-5.1years) after trauma. Four children (6.5%) were identified to have some degree of hypertension while hospitalized after trauma and started on anti-hypertensive medication. Two out of these four children remained on hypertensive medication at follow up, while the remaining two children's hypertension resolved. No children who were normotensive in the immediate post-trauma period, developed delayed hypertension during long-term follow up. CONCLUSIONS: There is a low risk of developing hypertension following severe renal trauma in the pediatric population. Patients who develop long-term problems with hypertension after renal trauma manifest it during the initial hospitalization, rather than subsequently during the long-term.

Timing, incidence and risk factors for venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for malignancy: a case for extended duration pharmacological prophylaxis.

PURPOSE: Patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer are at high risk for venous thromboembolism. Recent data have demonstrated that the risk of venous thromboembolism often extends beyond hospital discharge in nonurological surgical populations. To our knowledge the timing of venous thromboembolism in patients who have undergone radical cystectomy during a 30-day postoperative period has not been assessed. Therefore, we evaluated the timing, incidence and risk factors for venous thromboembolism for patients undergoing radical cystectomy for malignancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive, observational, retrospective study data from 1,307 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for malignancy from 2005 to 2011 were collected using the American College of Surgeons NSQIP (National Surgical Quality Improvement Program) database. Venous thromboembolism occurrences were evaluated by postoperative day and whether they occurred while an inpatient or after discharge home. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression and logistic regression models were used to evaluate risk factors associated with venous thromboembolism. RESULTS: Of 1,307 patients 78 (6%) were diagnosed with venous thromboembolism. The mean time to venous thromboembolism diagnosis was 15.2 days postoperatively. Of all venous thromboembolism events 55% were diagnosed after patient discharge home. The 30-day mortality rate from venous thromboembolism was 6.4%. Risk factors for the development of venous thromboembolism on multivariate analysis were age (p = 0.024), operative time (p = 0.004) and sepsis or septic shock (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: More than half of all venous thromboembolisms (55%) in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for malignancy occurred after discharge home and the mean time to venous thromboembolism diagnosis was 15.2 days postoperatively. It is reasonable to consider extended duration pharmacological prophylaxis (4 weeks) in this high risk surgical population.