Readmission after robotic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy: Earlier discharge, increased readmissions?

Abstract

149 Background: Readmissions after esophagectomy are costly and incidence can be as high as 25%. The robotic assisted approach has potential benefits of earlier discharge compared to conventional techniques, however it is unclear what impact an earlier discharge will have on readmission rates. We sought to examine the impact of early discharge on readmission rates with robotic approaches. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients undergoing robotic assisted Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (RAIL) from 2009-2015 was conducted. Clinicopathologic factors and surgical outcomes were recorded and compared. We then compared outcomes to a historical cohort from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data (2002 to 2009). Length of stay, 30-day and 90-day readmissions, and mortality were determined. All statistical tests were two-sided and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: We identified 147 patients who underwent RAIL. There were 78.9% (116) male with an average age 66 ±10 years. Adenocarcinoma was the predominant histology in 86% (126) patients, 9.52% (14) patients had squamous cell histology, and 4.76% (7) patients had other histology. Neoadjuvant therapy was administered to 77.6% (114) patients. In the SEER database 1,744 patients with esophageal cancer underwent esophagectomy: 80% of patients (1,390) were male, with a mean age of 73 years; 71.8% of tumors (1,251) were adenocarcinomas, and 38% of patients (667) received neoadjuvant therapy. Median length of stay was 13 days, 30-day mortality was 8.8% (158 patients), and 90 day mortality was 17.9% (302) compared to median LOH of 9 days, 30-day mortality of 0.6% (1) and 90-day mortality of 1.4% (2)% in the robotic cohort, p < 0.0001, p = 0.007, and p < 0.0001. Readmission rates at 30 and 90 days were 18.6% (212) and 31.3% (356) in the SEER patients, and 3.4% (5) and 5.4% (8) in the robotic cohort p = 0.001 and p < 0.001. Conclusions: RAIL is a safe surgical technique that provides an alternative to conventional approaches to esophageal resection. Patients undergoing RAIL had lower mortality rates and LOH. Despite the lower LOH, RAIL was associated with lower 30 and 90-day readmissions.