Stent duration and increased pain in the hours after ureteral stent removal.

INTRODUCTION To assess the relationship between pain after ureteral stent removal and patient and procedural factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A validated survey designed to assess the relationship between quality of life and treatment decisions in kidney stone disease was randomly distributed to patients with a history of a ureteral stent in seven medical centers across North America participating in an endourology research collaborative between July 2016 and June 2018. The primary outcome was increased pain after ureteral stent removal. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi-square and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 327 surveys were analyzed. Twenty seven percent of patients reported increased pain in the hours after ureteral stent removal. Patients with a stent ≤ 7 days were significantly more likely to experience pain after stent removal compared to those with a stent > 7 days (33.3% versus 22.8%, p = 0.04). Female gender (OR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.42-4.10) was associated with increased pain after stent removal, while increasing age was inversely associated (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.36-0.74). After adjustment, patients with a stent > 7 days were significantly less likely to report pain in the hours after removal (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.35-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one in four patients will experience increased pain after ureteral stent removal. Female patients, younger patients, and patients with a stent ≤ 7 days were more likely to experience an increase in pain immediately following stent removal. Understanding factors associated with post-stent removal pain may be helpful in counseling patients at high risk stent removal morbidity.

Multicenter investigation on the influence of climate in penile prosthesis infection.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) infection, time of year, climate, temperature and humidity. This is a retrospective IRB-approved analysis of 211 patients at 25 institutions who underwent salvage procedure or device explant between 2001 and 2016. Patient data were compiled after an extensive review of all aspects of their electronic medical records. Climate data were compiled from monthly norms based on location, as well as specific data regarding temperature, dew point, and humidity from dates of surgery. Rigorous statistical analysis was performed. We found that penile prosthesis infections occurred more commonly in June (n = 24) and less frequently during the winter months (n = 39), with the lowest number occurring in March (n = 11). One-hundred thirty-nine infections occurred at average daily temperatures greater than 55 °F, compared to 72 infections at less than 55 °F. The incidence rate ratio for this trend was 1.93, with a p-value of <0.001. Humidity results were similar, and fungal infections correlate with daily humidity. Infected implants performed in the fall and summer were over 3 and 2.3 times, respectively, more likely to grow Gram-positive bacteria compared to implants performed in spring (p = 0.004; p = 0.039). This was consistent across geographic location, including in the Southern hemisphere. We found trends between climate factors and IPP infection like those seen and proven in other surgical literature. To our knowledge these data represent the first exploration of the relationship between temperature and infection in prosthetic urology.

"Allergic-like" reaction risk in patients undergoing non-intravenous contrast urography.

INTRODUCTION: Though widely performed, the safety of non-intravenous contrast (NIVC) urography in patients with documented intravenous, iodinated contrast allergic like reactions (ICA) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the risk of "allergic-like" reaction (ALR) events in patients with ICA undergoing NIVC urography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing contrast urography at a single institution were identified between 2011-2014. Patient charts were reviewed for documented ICA prior to index surgery, preoperative allergy prophylaxis with steroid or antihistamine, and acute allergic reactions identified by ICD codes within 24 hours of surgery. RESULTS: A total of 2,650 patients were included, 1,325 female (50%). Of these patients, 113 (4.2%) had an ICA. Overall 33% (37/113) of patient received preoperative allergy prophylaxis with a steroid or antihistamine. A potential ALR related ICD-9 code was identified in one patient (0.8%) with a prior IVC ALR without allergy prophylaxis within 24 hours preoperatively undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). This event was found to be an associated with a myocardial infarction and lacked ALR sequelae. CONCLUSION: Despite commonly voiced concerns, in this large series of over 2,500 patients, including 113 patients with a prior history of ICA undergoing contrast urography, only one patient was found to have a potential ALR event following PCNL. No patients undergoing a retrograde contrast urography with prior, documented ICA had a NIVC ALR event despite a low rate of pretreatment with corticosteroid or antihistamine.