Risk factors for wound dehiscence following radical cystectomy: a prediction model

Radical cystectomy (RC) is a complex urologic procedure performed for the treatment of bladder cancer and causes significant morbidity. Wound dehiscence (WD) is a major complication associated with RC and is associated with multiple risk factors. The objectives of this study are to identify clinical risk factors for incidence of WD and develop a risk-prediction model to aid in patient risk-stratification and improvement of perioperative care.

The American College of Surgeons - National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was used to derive the study cohort. A univariate analysis provided nine variables eligible for multivariate model entry. A stepwise logistic regression analysis was conducted and refined considering clinical relevance of the variables, and then bootstrapped with 1000 samples, resulting in a five-factor model. Model performance and calibration were assessed by a receiver operated curve (ROC) analysis and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test for goodness of fit, respectively.

A cohort of 11,703 patients was identified from years 2005 to 2017, with 342 (2.8%) incidences of WD within 30 days of operation. The final five-factor model included male gender [odds ratio (OR) = 2.5, p < 0.001], surgical site infection (OR = 6.3, p < 0.001), smoking (OR = 1.8, p < 0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR = 1.9, p < 0.001), and weight class; morbidly obese patients had triple the odds of WD (OR = 2.9, p < 0.001). The ROC analysis provided a C-statistic of 0.76 and calibration R ² was 0.99.

The study yields a statistically robust and clinically beneficial five-factor model for estimation of WD incidence risk following RC, with good performance and excellent calibration. These factors may assist in identifying high-risk patients, providing preoperative counseling and thus leading to improvement in perioperative care.