Impact of Patient Factors on Robotic-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy Operating Room Times: The Case for Fixed Operating...

To analyze the association of patient characteristics on operating room (OR) times for robotic-assisted partial nephrectomies (RAPNs). In total, 248 consecutive RAPNs were performed by a single surgeon from October 2018 to August 2022. Data were collected on the following patient factors: sex, age, race, weight, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, hypertension (HTN), tumor side, tumor mass, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score. Total fixed OR times were evaluated as the sum of in-room time to anesthesia-release time (IRAT), anesthesia-release time to cut time (ARCT), close time to wheels out time (CTWO), and in-room time to cut time (IRAT + ARCT). Total variable OR times were defined as cut time to close time (CTCT). Total operative time was defined as wheels into wheel out (WIWO). Median OR time was 265 minutes (interquartile range [IQR]: 247-298 minutes) for WIWO, 191 minutes (IQR: 170-225 minutes) for CTCT, and 75 minutes (IQR: 68-83 minutes) for total fixed time. There was a significant increase in WIWO with the following patient variables: male sex (18.0 minutes, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.3-29.7 minutes), weight (5.6 minutes, 95% CI: 2.8-8.4 minutes), BMI (14.3 minutes, 95% CI: 4.2-24.4 minutes), HTN (15.1 minutes, 95% CI: 3.7-26.5 minutes), pathology tumor size (cm) (6.4 minutes, 95% CI: 2.2-10.6 minutes), and ASA score (13.8 minutes, 95% CI: 3.1-24.4 minutes). Sex, age, BMI, weight, HTN, and pathology tumor size significantly impacted CTCT (P < 0.05). Total fixed OR time was only affected by ASA score (P = 0.02). Patient variables significantly affect total OR time and variable OR time. These variables do not impact total fixed OR times, confirming fixed OR time as a viable OR efficiency point.