VTE Risk Factors in Radical Cystectomy Patients Identified

ORLANDO—Bladder cancer patients treated with radical cystectomy are at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to a study presented at the American Urological Association 2014 annual meeting. The risk is higher among patients with neurologic comorbidities and longer operative time.

Using the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, Josip Vukina, MD, MPH, and colleagues at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill studied patients undergoing radical cystectomy from 2005-2011.

Of 878 patients who had undergone radical cystectomy, 50 had experienced VTE, most of which were deep venous thrombosis (50%) followed by pulmonary embolism (26%) or both (24%).

Patients with 1 or more neurologic comorbidities had a significant 2.7 times increased risk of VTE. Each additional 60 minutes of operative time was associated with a significant 19% increased risk of VTE.