Days alive and out of hospital following transoral robotic surgery: Cohort study of 262 patients with head and neck cancer

Background Days alive and out of hospital (DAOH) is a validated outcome in clinical trials, since it reflects procedure‐associated morbidity and mortality. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has become a widely adopted procedure with increasing demand for knowledge and data on morbidity. Methods Retrospective single‐center assessment of a prospective TORS database comprising patients treated for malignancy between 2013 and 2018 using DAOH to describe procedure‐ and disease‐related morbidity the first 12‐postoperative months. Results For 262 patients, median DAOH365 was 357 days (IQR 351–360). Indications for TORS were (i) primary curative resection (61%), (ii) salvage resection (15%), and (iii) diagnostic work‐up of cancer of unknown primary in the head and neck (24%). Median DAOH365 was 359 days (IQR 351–361 days), 348 days (IQR 233–355), and 357 days (351–361), respectively. Pneumonia had the highest impact in DAOH365 reduction. Conclusion Total median DAOH365 after TORS was 357 days. The main cause leading to DAOH365 reduction was pneumonia.