Shorter duration of femoral-popliteal bypass is associated with decreased surgical site infection and shorter hospital length of stay

Background: Duration of femoral-popliteal bypass is based on multiple patient-specific, system-specific, and surgeon-specific factors, and is subject to considerable variability. We hypothesized that shorter operative duration is associated with improved outcomes and might represent a potential quality-improvement measure. Study Design: Patients who underwent primary femoral-popliteal bypass with autogenous vein between 2005 and 2009 were identified from the American College of Surgeons NSQIP dataset using ICD-9 codes. Operative duration quartiles (Q) were determined (Q1: ≤149 minutes, Q2: 150 to 192 minutes, Q3: 193 to 248 minutes; and Q4: <249 minutes). Perioperative outcomes included mortality, surgical site infection, cardiopulmonary complications, and length of hospital stay. Relevant patient-specific and system-specific confounders, including age, body mass index, smoking, diabetes, end-stage renal disease, indication, American Society of Anesthesiologists' class, type of anesthesia, intraoperative transfusion, nonoperative time in the operating room, and participation of a trainee during the procedure, were adjusted for using multivariable regression. Results: There were 2,644 femoral-popliteal bypass procedures in our study. Mean age was 65.9 years and 62% of patients were male. Longer duration of surgery was associated with increased perioperative surgical site infection (Q1: 6.3%; Q2: 9.0%; Q3: 10.1%; and Q4: 13.9%; p < 0.001) and longer length of stay (5.4 ± 6.8 days; 6.1 ± 6.7 days; 7.0 ± 11.3 days; 8.1 ± 8.0 days, respectively; p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, longer operative duration was independently associated with higher surgical site infection and longer hospital length of stay. Operative duration of <260 minutes increased the risk of surgical site infection by 50% compared with operative time of 150 minutes. Conclusions: Longer duration of femoral-popliteal bypass with autogenous vein was associated with a significantly higher risk of perioperative surgical site infection and longer hospital length of stay. Surgeon-specific parameters that lead to faster operative time might lead to improved clinical outcomes and more efficient hospital resource use.