Peri-operative SARS-CoV-2 infection increases postoperative mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal duration of planned delay before surgery in patients who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection. This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study included patients undergoing elective or emergency surgery during October 2020. Surgical patients with pre-operative SARS-CoV-2 infection were compared with those without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality. Logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted 30-day mortality rates stratified by time from diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection to surgery. Among 140,231 patients (116 countries), 3127 patients (2.2%) had a pre-operative SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. Adjusted 30-day mortality in patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection was 1.5% (95%CI 1.4-1.5). In patients with a pre-operative SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, mortality was increased in patients having surgery within 0-2 weeks, 3-4 weeks and 5-6 weeks of the diagnosis (odds ratio (95%CI) 4.1 (3.3-4.8), 3.9 (2.6-5.1) and 3.6 (2.0-5.2), respectively). Surgery performed ≥ 7 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis was associated with a similar mortality risk to baseline (odds ratio (95%CI) 1.5 (0.9-2.1)). After a ≥ 7 week delay in undertaking surgery following SARS-CoV-2 infection, patients with ongoing symptoms had a higher mortality than patients whose symptoms had resolved or who had been asymptomatic (6.0% (95%CI 3.2-8.7) vs. 2.4% (95%CI 1.4-3.4) vs. 1.3% (95%CI 0.6-2.0), respectively). Where possible, surgery should be delayed for at least 7 weeks following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients with ongoing symptoms ≥ 7 weeks from diagnosis may benefit from further delay.

Introduction: Radical cystectomy (RC) with urinary diversion (UD) is still considered a complex surgery associated with significant morbidity. Open RC (ORC) remains the reference option of treatment, even if adoption of robot-assisted RC (RARC) is rapidly increasing. To date, all the available randomized controlled trials were characterized by an extracorporeal approach in performing UD, undermining potential benefits of a totally minimally invasive procedure. In this study, we aimed to report perioperative and 6-month outcomes from the first RCT comparing ORC and RARC with totally intracorporeal UD. Methods: Patients were eligible for randomization if they had a diagnostic transurethral resection of bladder tumor with cT2-4, cN0, cM0, or recurrent high-grade nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer and no anesthesiologic contraindications to robotic surgery. Patients were enrolled with a covariate adaptive randomization process based on the following variables: body mass index, American Society of AnesthesiologistsÒ score, baseline haemoglobin, planned UD, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and cT-stage. The primary end point was to demonstrate the superiority of RARC with intracorporeal UD in terms of a 50% transfusions rate's reduction. Results: Overall, 116 consecutive patients (58 RARC, 58 ORC) were enrolled. Among primary endpoint, overall perioperative transfusion rates were significantly lower in the RARC cohort (RARC: 22% vs ORC: 41%; p[0.046). Conclusions: This prospective randomized trial observed 22% and 41% overall perioperative transfusion rates in patients treated by RARC and ORC, respectively, confirming a significant benefit in favor of RARC with intracorporeal UD. However, perioperative complications, hospital stay, and 6-month health-related quality of life were largely comparable between groups. Oncologic and functional outcomes will be assessed at longer followup to observe potential differences between arms.

SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with an increased rate of venous thromboembolism in critically ill patients. Since surgical patients are already at higher risk of venous thromboembolism than general populations, this study aimed to determine if patients with peri-operative or prior SARS-CoV-2 were at further increased risk of venous thromboembolism. We conducted a planned sub-study and analysis from an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study of elective and emergency patients undergoing surgery during October 2020. Patients from all surgical specialties were included. The primary outcome measure was venous thromboembolism (pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis) within 30 days of surgery. SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis was defined as peri-operative (7 days before to 30 days after surgery); recent (1-6 weeks before surgery); previous (≥7 weeks before surgery); or none. Information on prophylaxis regimens or pre-operative anti-coagulation for baseline comorbidities was not available. Postoperative venous thromboembolism rate was 0.5% (666/123,591) in patients without SARS-CoV-2; 2.2% (50/2317) in patients with peri-operative SARS-CoV-2; 1.6% (15/953) in patients with recent SARS-CoV-2; and 1.0% (11/1148) in patients with previous SARS-CoV-2. After adjustment for confounding factors, patients with peri-operative (adjusted odds ratio 1.5 (95%CI 1.1-2.0)) and recent SARS-CoV-2 (1.9 (95%CI 1.2-3.3)) remained at higher risk of venous thromboembolism, with a borderline finding in previous SARS-CoV-2 (1.7 (95%CI 0.9-3.0)). Overall, venous thromboembolism was independently associated with 30-day mortality ). In patients with SARS-CoV-2, mortality without venous thromboembolism was 7.4% (319/4342) and with venous thromboembolism was 40.8% (31/76). Patients undergoing surgery with peri-operative or recent SARS-CoV-2 appear to be at increased risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism compared with patients with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Optimal venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and treatment are unknown in this cohort of patients, and these data should be interpreted accordingly.

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Our aim was to illustrate our technique of sex-sparing (SS)-robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) in female patients receiving an intracorporeal neobladder (iN). From January 2013 to June 2018, 11 female patients underwent SS-RARC-iN at a single tertiary referral center. Inclusion criteria were a cT ≤ 2 N0 M0 bladder tumor at baseline imaging (CT or MRI) and an absence of tumors in the bladder neck, trigone and urethra at TURB. Baseline, perioperative, and outcomes at one year were reported. The median operative time was 255 min and the median hospital stay was seven days. Low-grade Clavien complications occurred in four patients (36.3%), while high-grade complications were not observed in any. Seven patients (63.7%) had an organ-confined disease at the pathologic specimen; nodal involvement and positive surgical margins were not detected in any of the cases. At a median follow-up of 28 months (IQR 14–51), no patients developed new onset of chronic kidney disease stage 3b. After one year, daytime and nighttime continence rates were 90.9% and 86.4% respectively. Quality of life as well as physical and emotional functioning improved significantly over time (all p ≤ 0.04), while urinary symptoms and sexual function worsened at three months with a significant recovery taking place at one year (all p ≤ 0.04). Overall, 8 out of 11 patients (72.7%) were sexually active at the 12-month evaluation. In select female patients, SS-RARC-iN is an oncologically sound procedure associated with favorable perioperative and functional outcomes.

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PN and RN for patients with cc-RCC larger than 7 cm provided equivalent oncologic outcomes. Safety and reproducibility of our findings should be further investigated in larger multicentric cohorts.

Objectives: To report surgical technique, perioperative, oncological, and mid-term functional outcomes in a single-center purely off-clamp robotic partial nephrectomy series for totally endophytic masses. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected, institutional review board-approved renal cancer database was carried out to include patients with a totally endophytic renal tumor treated with off-clamp robotic partial nephrectomy between January 2013 and December 2020 at our center. Our database was queried to identify cases that had been assigned 3 points for the "E" domain of the R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score and 3 points for the "exophytic rate" domain of the PADUA (Preoperative Aspects and Dimensions Used for an Anatomical) nephrometry score. Preoperative indocyanine green renal mass marking was performed in 33 patients, in whom the tumor was vascularized by a specific feeding artery. Surgical steps, perioperative, oncological and functional data were reported. Results: Fifty-six consecutive patients with totally endophytic renal masses were treated. The median tumor diameter was 3 cm, and median PADUA and R.E.N.A.L. scores were both 10. The median operative time was 82 min. Low-grade Clavien complications occurred in two patients (3.6%) and high-grade Clavien complications were observed in four patients (7.1%). Positive surgical margins were detected in one patient; 2-year recurrence-free, cancer-specific, and overall survival rates were 100%, 100%, and 98.2%, respectively. At a median follow-up of 24 months, new onset of chronic kidney disease stage 3b occurred in one patient. At last follow-up, the median estimated glomerular filtration rate was 77 mL/min, with a median estimated glomerular filtration rate percent decrease of 5.5%. Trifecta was achieved in 91% of patients. Conclusions: Purely off-clamp robotic partial nephrectomy is a feasible and safe surgical approach, even in totally endophytic renal tumors, providing a favorable perioperative complications rate, excellent oncological outcomes, and negligible impact on renal function at mid-term follow-up. Indocyanine green preoperative marking of endophytic renal tumors represents a useful tool for rapid intraoperative identification of the mass, real-time control of resection margins, and a more precise dissection.