Complications of radical cystectomy and correlation with nutritional assessment

Single stage radical cystectomy and ileal conduit remains the procedure of choice for invasive bladder cancer and is a formidable operation performed on an elderly population. A retrospective review of 69 radical cystectomies was done to evaluate not only operative mortality and complication rate, but also the nutritional status of the patients and its relationship to the frequency of complications. Preoperative nutritional status was assessed by total lymphocyte count and serum albumin. There was an operative mortality rate of 2.9 per cent and early complication rate of 41 per cent. The findings suggest that patients with severe nutritional depletion should receive hyperalimentation prior to cystectomy to reduce serious postoperative complications.