Thromboembolic Events After Robotic Radical Cystectomy: A Comparative Analysis of Extended and Limited Prophylaxis

Objective To compare limited (only inpatient) venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) to limited plus extended prophylaxis. There is little consensus on postoperative VTE prophylaxis regimens after RARC with data mostly extrapolated from other cancers. Methods Retrospective review of all RARC patients at our center between 2014-2022, identifying two groups: patients after a prospectively implemented protocol (January 2018 to present) utilizing a prolonged 21-day postoperative course of either enoxaparin 40mg daily or apixaban 2.5mg twice daily after discharge, or patients prior to January 2018 receiving only limited VTE prophylaxis during their immediate postoperative inpatient stay. Primary outcome: incidence of symptomatic VTE confirmed with imaging within 90-days postoperatively. Secondary outcomes: major hemorrhage, complications, readmission, and mortality within 30-days postoperatively. Descriptive statistics depicted baseline patient characteristics, operative information, and complications. Differences were compared between groups. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between variables and primary outcome. Results Eighty-six patients received limited prophylaxis and 364 received extended prophylaxis. Twelve (2.7%) patients experienced VTE within 90-days postoperatively: (10 [2.7%] extended vs. 2 [2.3%] limited, p = 0.9). Upon stratification into EAU “low-risk” or “high +intermediate-risk” groups, no statistically significant difference in VTE rates was seen between the extended or limited groups. When controlling for prophylaxis regimen, intracorporeal approach was found to be predictive of a lower with a lower risk of VTE (p = 0.019). Conclusions Limited and extended prophylaxis showed no significant differences in VTE rates among RARC patients. Further studies are necessary for RARC patients to improve guidelines.