Elimination of surgical drains following robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy

To prospectively evaluate outcomes of robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) following elimination of surgical drains. 100 consecutive drainless RAPN performed by a single surgeon were analyzed following a previously published quantitative assessment of drain creatinine/serum creatinine ratios. This cohort was compared to 100 preceding RAPN with drains. Variables analyzed included pre-operative patient/tumor characteristics and post-operative outcomes including post-operative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), length of hospital stay (LOS), and complications. There was no significant difference in median patient age, sex, body mass index, ASA score, or pre-operative eGFR between the two groups. The preceding 100 patients with drains did have larger median renal size (3.5 vs 2.6 cm, p