ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim was to determine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urolithiasis presentation and management. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we comparatively evaluated urgent and elective procedures due to urolithiasis during the early eight months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2020, to October 31, 2020) compared to the same period a year before, and between waves. The student's t-test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the patients' characteristics and outcomes between the two periods and waves. RESULTS: Five hundred and thirty procedures were included. The overall numbers of surgical procedures due to urolithiasis were similar between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Regarding elective surgery, our data draw attention to the increased complication rate in the pandemic times, but no statistically significant differences in terms of types of procedures and need for complementary treatments were observed. We noted that patterns of presentation of complicated renal colic were different during COVID-19 pandemic, with a higher number of days after the onset of symptoms and a higher proportion of patients presenting acute kidney injury. Furthermore, a significant increase of creatinine levels at presentation in first wave was detected, and a growth in the number of urgent procedures after the first wave was noted, owing to the delay in urolithiasis treatment and diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected both urgent and elective management of urolithiasis. Lessons about the management of urolithiasis in this context should be learned to avoid fatal complications and improve standards of care.
ABSTRACT
Background The aim was to determine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urolithiasis presentation and management. Methods In this retrospective study, we comparatively evaluated urgent and elective procedures due to urolithiasis during the early eight months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2020, to October 31, 2020) compared to the same period a year before, and between waves. The student’s t-test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare the patients’ characteristics and outcomes between the two periods and waves. Results Five hundred and thirty procedures were included. The overall numbers of surgical procedures due to urolithiasis were similar between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Regarding elective surgery, our data draw attention to the increased complication rate in the pandemic times, but no statistically significant differences in terms of types of procedures and need for complementary treatments were observed. We noted that patterns of presentation of complicated renal colic were different during COVID-19 pandemic, with a higher number of days after the onset of symptoms and a higher proportion of patients presenting acute kidney injury. Furthermore, a significant increase of creatinine levels at presentation in 1st wave was detected. A growth in the number of urgent procedures after the 1st wave was noted, owing to the delay in urolithiasis treatment and diagnosis. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected both urgent and elective management of urolithiasis. Lessons about the management of urolithiasis in this context should be learned to avoid fatal complications and improve standards of care.
ABSTRACT
Introduction & Objectives: Urolithiasis is a very common disease that can be potentially life-threatening. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elective and urgent surgery of urolithiasis. Materials & Methods: We reviewed all surgeries due to urolithiasis during the COVID-19 pandemic (1st March- 31th October 2020) and during the same time pre-COVID-19 period in 2019. Student t-test, Mann-Whitney U, Chi square and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the two periods. Results: 530 procedures were analysed. The number of surgical procedures were similar between the two periods. Regarding elective surgery (table 1), we found no statistically significant differences in types of procedures, hospital stay and need for complementary treatments. We identified an increased complication rate in the pandemic times. (Table Presented) Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on urgent and elective management of urolithiasis. It represents a challenge for urologists and lessons should be learnt in order to avoid fatal complications.