D. Liberman

569 PELVIC LYMPH NODE DISSECTION (PLND) IS PERFORMED LESS FREQUENTLY IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH MINIMALLY INVASIVE RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY (MIRP)

operative VTE in two groups of patients operated on by two surgeons; one who consistently used heparin with SCDs (Group 1) and the other who used SCDs alone (Group 2) for prophylaxis. METHODS: An IRB approved prospectively managed database was analyzed. Group 1 received SCDs just prior to induction and 5,000 units of heparin subcutaneously just after induction. SCDs continued postoperatively and heparin was given twice a day until discharge. Group 2 maintained SCDs until ambulatory. VTE rate, patient age, BMI, operative time, lymphocele rate, estimated blood loss, and pathologic stage were compared between the two groups. Categorical variables were analyzed with chi square test of proportions and continuous variables with t-test using SPSS v 14 software. RESULTS: 1,035 consecutive patients underwent robotic prostatectomy between August 1, 2007 and September 30, 2010. 652 patients received heparin/SCDs and 383 received SCDs alone. Patient age, BMI, estimated blood loss, and pathologic stage were the same in the two groups. There was one lymphocele in each group. Although operative times were longer in Group 2 (228.0 v 165.4 min, p 0.001), the incidence of VTE was the same (0.8% v 0.8%, p .620). BMI, operative time, EBL, and the performance of lymph node dissection were not associated with VTE. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of VTE in patients undergoing robotic prostatectomy is low and not significantly reduced with the administration of prophylactic heparin/SCDs compared to SCDs alone.