The work relative value unit (wRVU) is a commonly cited surrogate for surgical complexity; however, it is highly susceptible to subjective interpretation and external forces. Our objective was to evaluate whether wRVU is associated with perioperative outcomes, including complications, after brain tumor surgery. The 2006–2014 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried to identify patients ≥ 18 years who underwent brain tumor resection. Patients were categorized into approximate quintiles based on total wRVU. The relationship between wRVU and several perioperative outcomes was assessed with univariate and multivariate analyses. Subgroup analyses were performed using a Current Procedural Terminology code common to all wRVU groups. The 16,884 patients were categorized into wRVU ranges 0–30.83 (4664 patients), 30.84–34.58 (2548 patients), 34.59–38.04 (3147 patients), 38.05–45.38 (3173 patients), and ≥ 45.39 (3352 patients). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, increasing wRVU did not predict more 30-day postoperative complications, except respiratory complications and need for blood transfusion. Linear regression analysis showed that wRVU was poorly correlated with operative duration and length of stay. On multivariate analysis of the craniectomy subgroup, wRVU was not associated with overall or respiratory complications. The highest wRVU group was still associated with greater risk of requiring blood transfusion (OR 3.01, p < 0.001). Increasing wRVU generally did not correlate with 30 days postoperative complications in patients undergoing any surgery for brain tumor resection; however, the highest wRVU groups may be associated with greater risk of respiratory complications and need for transfusion. These finding suggests that wRVU may be a poor surrogate for case complexity.

工作相对价值单位 (wRVU) 是手术复杂性的常用替代指标。但是，它很容易受到主观解释和外力的影响。我们的目标是评估 wRVU 是否与脑肿瘤手术后的围手术期结局（包括并发症）相关。对 2006-2014 年美国外科学院国家外科质量改进计划数据库进行了查询，以确定接受脑肿瘤切除术的 18 岁以上的患者。根据总 wRVU 将患者分为近似五分位数。通过单变量和多变量分析评估了 wRVU 与几个围手术期结局之间的关系。使用所有 wRVU 组通用的当前程序术语代码进行亚组分析。16,884 名患者被分类为 wRVU 范围 0-30。83（4664 名患者）、30.84-34.58（2548 名患者）、34.59-38.04（3147 名患者）、38.05-45.38（3173 名患者）和≥45.39（3352 名患者）。在多变量逻辑回归分析中，除了呼吸系统并发症和需要输血外，增加 wRVU 并不能预测更多的术后 30 天并发症。线性回归分析表明，wRVU 与手术持续时间和住院时间的相关性较差。在对颅骨切除术亚组进行多变量分析时，wRVU 与整体或呼吸系统并发症无关。最高 wRVU 组仍然与需要输血的更大风险相关（OR 3.01，除了呼吸系统并发症和输血需求外，增加 wRVU 并不能预测更多的术后 30 天并发症。线性回归分析表明，wRVU 与手术持续时间和住院时间的相关性较差。在对颅骨切除术亚组进行多变量分析时，wRVU 与整体或呼吸系统并发症无关。最高 wRVU 组仍然与需要输血的更大风险相关（OR 3.01，除了呼吸系统并发症和输血需求外，增加 wRVU 并不能预测更多的术后 30 天并发症。线性回归分析表明，wRVU 与手术持续时间和住院时间的相关性较差。在对颅骨切除术亚组进行多变量分析时，wRVU 与整体或呼吸系统并发症无关。最高 wRVU 组仍然与需要输血的更大风险相关（OR 3.01，p  < 0.001)。在接受任何脑肿瘤切除手术的患者中，增加 wRVU 通常与术后 30 天并发症无关；然而，最高 wRVU 组可能与更高的呼吸系统并发症风险和输血需求有关。这些发现表明 wRVU 可能是病例复杂性的不良替代品。