Inpatient mortality, healthcare resource utilization, and complications of elective laparoscopic versus open colectomy in colon cancer patients: A nationwide inpatient sample analysis.

Abstract

4109 Background: Laparoscopic colectomy (LC) has become an accepted safe and alternative technique to open surgical colectomy (OC) as a treatment option for colon cancer. We compared inpatient mortality, hospital resource utilization and complications in patients who underwent LC vs OC. Methods: All patients with known diagnosis of colon cancer who underwent elective colonic resection were identified using Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2017. Univariate and multivariate linear and logistic regression was performed to compare the outcomes of patients who underwent LC vs OC. Results: In our cohort, 171, 480 adult patients with colon cancer were identified. The number of males and females were equal. The mean age was 67.2 years. They were predominantly Caucasians (67.6%). OC was performed on 3,869 patients. Of 1,345 patients who underwent LC, 385 were converted to OC. As compared to OC, LC was associated with lower postoperative complications including anastomotic leak, stricture, intestinal obstruction(1% vs 10.8%, p<0.01), blood transfusion(2.2 % vs 11.2% p=0.01), malnutrition(0.2% vs 4.4% p=0.02), shock(0.7% vs 1.8%,p=0.04), ICU care(1.9% vs 5.3%), mean length of stay (5.9 days vs 8.7 days, p=0.01), lower hospital charge (88,642$ vs 106,315 $,p<0.01) and lower mortality(0.3% vs 1.9%(p=0.02). There was a trend towards decreased venous thromboembolism (0.3% vs 1.7 %, p=0.9) and post-operative ileus (0.1% vs 0.7% p=0.60) in LC as compared to OC. On multivariate analysis, independent predictors of undergoing LC were younger age, teaching and large bed-sized hospital and lower Charlson comorbidity index. Race, insurance status and income had no significant association with selection of operative approach (Table). Conclusions: In our cohort, laparoscopic colectomy was found to have better peri and post-operative clinical outcomes including decreased inpatient mortality and hospital resource utilization. It should be promoted as the curative surgical option for colon cancer whenever clinically indicated. [Table: see text]