Analysis of Holmium Laser Enucleation of Prostate Fixed Operating Room Times

To evaluate factors influencing fixed operating room time during holmium laser enucleation of the prostate.A prospective observational study was performed for all holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) cases performed by a single surgeon over a 24-month period. Operating room (OR) time was divided into fixed and variable time. The variable time was defined as cut-to-close time. Fixed time included in room time to anesthesia release time (IRAT), anesthesia release time to cut time (ARCT), and close time to wheels out (CTWO). The effects of time of day and anesthesia personnel (AP) changes on fixed operating room time were evaluated.A total of 406 HoLEPs were analyzed. There was no statistically significant difference in nonprocedural OR times between morning and afternoon surgeries (IRAT, P = .38, ARCT P = .10, CTWO P = .77). Median nonprocedural OR times accounted for 27% (IQR: 22%-31%) of the total procedure time in the AM group and 29% (IQR: 24%-33%) in the PM group (P = .005). Of the HoLEPs,78.1% (178/228) experienced one or more AP changes during the procedure. The median fixed OR time was not significantly different between procedures with 1 AP and procedures with ≥2 APs (IRAT, P = .53; ARCT, P = .71; CTWO, P = .98).Fixed operating room time makes up a significant portion of HoLEP procedures and should be considered when evaluating OR efficiency. The time of day and number of anesthesia personnel involved did not affect the fixed OR times.