Is outpatient robotic pyeloplasty feasible?

With increased experience, many laparoscopic procedures have evolved from mandatory same-day admission to the outpatient setting. Given the shorter operative time and length of stay, the potential to perform robotic surgery as an outpatient procedure exists. We sought to describe our initial experience with performing robotic-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RP) on children in an outpatient setting. We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected database of all patients undergoing RP from July 2012 to May 2014 by a single surgeon. All patients discharged home within 12 h of completion of surgery were included in the analysis. Prior to discharge the Wong-Baker Pain Scale 1-10 was reviewed and given to all patients. All patients were prescribed oxybutynin and phenazopyridine for bladder spasms and stent discomfort. Post-operative follow-up telephone calls were made inquiring about oral intake, pain control, constitutional symptoms, and voiding issues. Readmission rates and post-operative outcomes were reviewed. During the study period, 62 children underwent RP and 13 patients (21 %) were selected for outpatient management. These 7 boys and 6 girls had a mean age of 8.1 years old. Of the 13 patients, 11 patients had left-sided procedures and 2 had right; all had primary UPJO. Mean pain score was 2.7 in the first 12 h at home. Within 24 h, the pain score decreased to a mean of 2.2. No patient required opioid analgesics and no child required admission after surgery. At 3-month follow-up, 7 patients had resolved hydronephrosis, 5 had improved hydronephrosis and 1 was unchanged. MAG3 renal scan in the latter patient showed no sign of obstruction. Outpatient RP is feasible and appears to be safe. Great care must be taken when selecting which patients can be fast tracked.