It's complicated: The relationship of non-narcotic medications and postoperative opioid use in radical cystectomy patients.

INTRODUCTION: The effect of individual non-narcotic analgesics in cystectomy enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is unknown. Additionally, many non-narcotic medications are associated with side effects pertinent to the cystectomy population. To better understand the actual use and utility of these medications, we sought to characterize the association between non-narcotic medications and milligram morphine equivalent (MME) narcotic score during the postoperative inpatient stay. METHODS: We reviewed 260 consecutive ERAS cystectomy patients. The MME impact of non-narcotic compliance and cumulative dose of medication received was evaluated separately with general linear models. We also assessed relationship of non-narcotic compliance to patient reported pain score, length of stay (LOS), and time to return of bowel function (ROBF) and performed manual review of postoperative documentation to identify reasons for medication noncompliance. RESULTS: Compliance with postoperative acetaminophen, gabapentin, and ketorolac was low. There was an inverse relationship between ketorolac dose and MME on postoperative day 1 (-0.026 MME/mg; P = 0.004) and postoperative day 2 (-0.33 MME/mg; P < 0.001). Compliance with ketorolac was associated with lower MME on postoperative day 1 (26.1 MME v. 33.6 MME; P = 0.023). There were no such associations identified with gabapentin or acetaminophen. Gabapentin compliance was associated with earlier ROBF (3.7 days v. 4.3 days; P = 0.006). Ketorolac compliance was associated with lower pain score on POD1 (3.25 VAS v. 4.07 VAS; P = 0.019) and POD2 (3.05 VAS v. 3.85 VAS; P = 0.040) There was no association between medication compliance and LOS. The most common reasons identified for non-compliance with gabapentin and ketorolac were renal function concerns (38% and 40% respectively), bleeding concerns with ketorolac (20%) and concerns for neurologic adverse effect with gabapentin (16%). CONCLUSION: Compliance with non-narcotic medications in our ERAS cystectomy protocol was poor. There was a modest association with ketorolac and postoperative MME but no association with gabapentin or acetaminophen. Further study will clarify the role of these medications for cystectomy patients. Component specific analysis of protocolized care is valuable and may alter care pathways.

Evaluation of a novel augmented reality educational tool and its effects on patient experience: A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Patient education is an essential element of the treatment pathway. Augmented reality (AR), with disease simulations and three-dimensional visuals, offers a developing approach to patient education. We aim to determine whether this tool can increase patient understanding of their disease and post-visit satisfaction in comparison to current standard of care (SOC) educational practices in a randomized control study. Methods: Our single-site study consisted of 100 patients with initial diagnoses of kidney masses or stones randomly enrolled in the AR or SOC arm. In the AR arm, a physician used AR software on a tablet to educate the patient. SOC patients were educated through traditional discussion, imaging, and hand-drawn illustrations. Participants completed pre- and post-physician encounter surveys adapted from the Press Ganey® patient questionnaire to assess understanding and satisfaction. Their responses were evaluated in the Readability Studio® and analyzed to quantify rates of improvement in self-reported understanding and satisfaction scores. Results: There was no significant difference in participant education level (P = 0.828) or visit length (27.6 vs. 25.0 min, P = 0.065) between cohorts. Our data indicate that the rate of change in pre- to post-visit self-reported understanding was similar in each arm (P ≥ 0.106 for all responses). The AR arm, however, had significantly higher patient satisfaction scores concerning the educational effectiveness and understanding of images used during the consultation (P < 0.05). Conclusions: While AR did not significantly increase self-reported patient understanding of their disease compared to SOC, this study suggests AR as a potential avenue to increase patient satisfaction with educational tools used during consultations.

Impact of diabetes and chronic kidney disease on active surveillance outcomes for small renal masses: A cohort study.

Introduction: The American Cancer Society estimates 79,000 individuals will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2022, most of which are initially found as small renal masses (SRMs). Proper management of SRM patients includes careful evaluation of risk factors such as medical comorbidities and renal function. To investigate the importance of these risk factors, we examined their effect on crossover to delayed intervention (DI) and overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing active surveillance (AS) for SRMs. Methods: This is an Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective analysis of AS patients presented at kidney tumor conferences with SRMs between 2007 and 2017. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine how factors including estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), diabetes, and chronic kidney disease are associated with DI and OS. Results: A total of 111 cases were reviewed. In general, AS patients were elderly and had significant comorbidities. On univariate analysis, intervention was more likely to occur in patients with a younger age (P = 0.01), better kidney function (P = 0.01), and higher tumor growth rates (GRs) (P = 0.02). Higher eGFR was associated with better survival (P = 0.03), while higher tumor GRs (P = 0.014), greater Charlson Comorbidity Index (P = 0.01), and larger tumors (P = 0.01) were associated with worse OS. Of the comorbidities, diabetes was found to be an independent predictor of worse OS (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Patient-level factors - such as diabetes and eGFR - are associated with the rate of DI and OS among SRM patients. Consideration of these factors may facilitate better AS protocols and improve patient outcomes for those with SRMs.