The Association Between Total Relative Value Unit and 90-Day Mortality After Noncardiac Surgery: A Hospital Data Registry Study

Objective. The total relative value unit (TRVU) of surgery reflects surgical complexity. However, its impact on mortality after noncardiac surgery has not been identified. This study aimed to investigate the association of TRVUs for surgery with postoperative 90-day mortality in adult patients who received planned, elective noncardiac surgery. We hypothesized that higher TRVU was associated with an increase in 90-day mortality after noncardiac surgery. Method. This retrospective cohort study analyzed medical records of adult patients admitted to a single tertiary academic hospital between January 2012 and December 2018 for planned elective noncardiac surgery. The primary end point was 90-day mortality. Results. A total of 112 606 patients were included. Among them, 561 patients (.5%) exhibited mortality within 90-days. In the multivariable model, an increase of 10 000 points of TRVUs was not significantly associated with 90-day mortality (odds ratio: .98, 95% confidence interval: .93 to 1.04; P = .536). Additionally, when it was divided into 4 quartile groups (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4), Q2, Q3, and Q4 group of TRVUs were not associated with 90-day mortality compared to the Q1 group of TRVUs ( P = .058, .984, and .237, respectively). In receiver-operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve of TRVUs for a 90-day mortality rate was .61. Conclusions. In conclusion , TRVUs were not associated significantly with a 90-day mortality rate after noncardiac surgery and have a low predictive ability for 90-day mortality after noncardiac surgery alone.