Estimation of Physiologic Ability and Surgical Stress (E-PASS) predicts postoperative complications after radical cystectomy.

Abstract

Introduction: This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Estimation of Physiologic Ability and Surgical Stress (E-PASS) scoring system in predicting postoperative complications following radical cystectomy (RC).

Materials and methods: In this single-center retrospective study, we analyzed data from patients who underwent open RC for muscle-invasive bladder cancer by a single surgeon between 2008 and 2023. Cases involving cystectomy for non-urothelial carcinoma or urinary diversion other than ileal conduit were excluded. We recorded patient demographics, body mass index (BMI), history of abdominal/retroperitoneal surgery, ASA score, performance status (PS), and pre-existing conditions, such as hypertension (HT), coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus (DM), and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Intraoperative data included surgery duration, blood loss, and need for blood transfusion. Post-operative complications were classified using the Clavien-Dindo system. E-PASS score was calculated using the Preoperative Risk Score (PRS), Surgical Stress Score (SSS), and Comprehensive Risk Score (CRS).

Results: The study included 252 patients. Patients who experienced postoperative complications had higher age, BMI, prior surgical history, ASA score, PS, and rates of CAD, HT, DM, and CKD compared to those who did not. Surgery duration, blood loss, blood transfusion requirement, and E-PASS scores (PRS, SSS, CRS) were also higher in this group. The ROC curve for CRS revealed a predictive cutoff of 0.4911 (AUC = 0.905, p < 0.001). Independent risk factors for postoperative complications included high BMI (p = 0.031), longer surgery duration (p < 0.001), HT (p = 0.042), CKD (p = 0.017), and CRS > 0.4911 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: E-PASS system effectively predicts postoperative complications in RC patients.