Utility of Postoperative Serial Renal Function Monitoring in Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy for Urothelial Carcinoma

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine the rates of clinical actions (CAs) as a result of serial creatinine (SCr) values and to examine postoperative SCr trends to assess the utility of SCr measurements in radical cystectomy (RC) patients. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review using our institution’s database on all patients who underwent radical cystectomy for urothelial carcinoma (UC) from 2009 to 2019. Preoperative and all postoperative inpatient creatinine values were recorded. Minor CAs included fluid boluses, fluid rate changes, and medication changes. Major CAs included OR take-backs for stent repositioning, nephrostomy tube placement, nephrology consultation, and hemodialysis. Results A total of 238 RCs were performed with a resultant 2952 SCr measurements. The median number of SCr measurements per patient was 9 (interquartile range, IQR 7) with median length of hospital stay of 10 days (IQR 9 days). There were 92 minor and 12 major CAs as a result of 3% and 0.44% of SCr measurements, respectively. All major CAs were seen in patients experiencing complicated postoperative course. The median postoperative day with the highest creatinine was day 2. Predictors of postoperative CAs included preoperative renal dysfunction and obesity. Conclusion SCr measurements remain a clinically valuable tool in postoperative management. Nonetheless, this present study suggests that prolonged SCr monitoring is of limited clinical utility. As such, discontinuing SCr checks after postoperative day 3 in patients experiencing uncomplicated postoperative course is safe and may lead to both cost savings and decreased patient discomfort.