Ninety-eight patients required emergency drainage by percutaneous nephrostomy or ureteral stenting for the treatment of APN with upper urinary tract calculi on a total of 101 occasions. All 98 patients were hospitalized. Emergency drainage was performed a total of 1, 2, and 3 times in 96 patients, 1 patient, and 1 patient, respectively. All cases had hydronephrosis. Table
1 lists the characteristics of the patients and their calculi, as well as intervention and hospitalization data. The median age was 67 years (range: 29-90 years). Sixty-nine (68.3%) events occurred in females and 32 (31.7%) occurred in males. For 22 events (21.8%), calculi were located in the kidney, while calculi were in the ureter for 74 events (73.3%) and the location was unclear for 5 (5.0%). The median size of the stones was 9 mm (range: 1-78 mm). A case of stone in 1 mm diameter had a ureteral stenosis. Of the 101 events, 69 (68.3%) were associated with a positive urine culture and 36 (35.6%) with bacteremia.
Table 1
The characteristics of patient, calculi, intervention and hospitalization
Characteristics | Events | 101 | 80 | 21 | |
Age | Median (range) | 67 (29-90) | 64 (29-78) | 74 (34-90) | < 0.001 |
Sex | Male | 32 (31.7%) | 27 (33.8%) | 5 (23.8%) | 0.441 |
| Female | 69 (68.3%) | 53 (66.3%) | 16 (76.2%) | |
Body mass index | Median (range) | 22.4 (13.9-35.7) | 22.8 (13.9-35.7) | | |
| | | | 22.3 (17.6-27.4) | 0.414 |
Stone location | Right | 48 (47.5%) | 38 (47.5%) | 10 (47.6%) | |
| Left | 47 (46.5%) | 36 (45.0%) | 11 (52.4%) | |
| Bilateral | 6 (5.9%) | 6 (7.5%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Kidney | 22 (21.8%) | 15 (18.8%) | 7 (33.3%) | 0.229 |
| Ureter | 74 (73.3%) | 61 (76.3%) | 13 (61.9%) | |
| Unclear | 5 (5.0%) | 4 (5.0%) | 1 (4.8%) | |
Stone size (mm) | Median (range) | 9 (1-78) | 9 (3-78) | 9(1-20) | 0.327 |
| Unclear | 14 (13.9%) | 12 (15.0%) | 3 (14.3%) | |
Drainage | Ureteral stent insertion | 90 (89.1%) | 73 (91.3%) | 17 (81.0%) | 0.168 |
| Percutaneous nephrostomy | 11 (10.9%) | 7 (8.8%) | 4 (19.0%) | |
Culture | Positive urine culture | 69 (68.3%) | 53 (66.3%) | 16 (76.2%) | 0.441 |
| Bacteremia | 36 (35.6%) | 21 (26.3%) | 15 (71.4%) | < 0.001 |
Intratracheal intubation | | 13 (12.9%) | 4 (5.0%) | 9 (42.9%) | < 0.001 |
Days from initial symptom to drainage | Median (range) | 3 (0-38) | 3 (0-38) | 2 (0-16) | 0.008 |
Hospital stay (day) | Median (range) | 11 (1-171) | 10 (1-171) | 14 (1-95) | 0.011 |
Mortality | | 2 (2.0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (9.5%) | |
Of the 101 events, 90 (89.1%) were managed by ureteral stenting and 11 (10.9%) were managed by percutaneous nephrostomy. Thirteen patients (12.9%) required endotracheal intubation because their respiratory status deteriorated. The median time from onset of symptoms to drainage was 3 days (range: 0-38 days) and the median hospital stay was 11 days (range: 1-171 days). Two patients died despite receiving emergency drainage.
Table
2 lists the laboratory data. The median white blood cell count was 12.9 × 1,000/μL (range: 0.7-38.3), the platelet count was 14.6 × 10,000/μL (range: 0.3-77.0), serum creatinine was 1.6 mg/dl (range: 0.5-11.6), CRP was 16.1 mg/dl (range: 0.1-48.2), and serum albumin was 3.2 mg/dl (range: 1.5-4.9). Of the 101 events, 79 (78.2%) had elevated serum creatinine levels above the normal range.
Table 2
Laboratory data when patients were at the consultation
Events | 101 | 80 | 21 | |
White blood cell count | (1,000/μL) | 12.9 (0.7-38.3) | 11.9 (4.2-37.7) | 21.3 (0.7-38.3) | 0.009 |
Platelet count | (10,000/μL) | 14.6 (0.3-77.0) | 17.0 (0.3-77.0) | 8.6 (0.3-28.2) | < 0.001 |
Serum creatinine value | (mg/dl) | 1.6 (0.5-11.6) | 1.4 (0.5-11.6) | 2.1 (0.5-5.1) | 0.102 |
CRP | (mg/dl) | 16.1 (0.1-48.2) | 14.7 (0.1-40.2) | 23.2 (2.8-48.2) | 0.005 |
Serum albumin | (mg/dl) | 3.2 (1.5-4.9) | 3.2 (1.5-4.9) | 2.7 (1.5-3.8) | 0.017 |
Table
3 displays the complications and past history of the patients. Of the 101 events, 25 (24.8%) were associated with diabetes mellitus, 41 (40.6%) with hypertension, 20 (19.8%) with psychosis, and 11 (10.9%) with paralysis. Forty-two (41.6%) events were associated with a history of urolithiasis, 18 (17.8%) with cerebral infarction (or hemorrhage or aneurysm), and 12 (11.9%) with cardiovascular disease. The daily median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 63.0 ml/min (range: 6.7-178.0). The performance status was ≥ 2 in 27 (26.7%) events. In 64 (63.4%) of the 101 events, the criteria for sepsis were fulfilled and 21 (20.8%) met the criteria for septic shock.
Table 3
The characteristics of complications, past history of disease and others
Events | 101 | 80 | 21 | |
The complication | | | | |
Diabetes mellitus | 25 (24.8%) | 21 (26.3%) | 4 (19.0%) | 0.582 |
Hypertention | 41 (40.6%) | 34 (42.5%) | 7 (33.3%) | 0.618 |
Psychosis | 20 (19.8%) | 15 (18.8%) | 5 (23.8%) | 0.759 |
The presence of paralysis | 11 (10.9%) | 4 (5.0%) | 7 (33.3%) | 0.001 |
The past history of disease | | | | |
Urolithiasis | 42 (41.6%) | 36 (45.0%) | 6 (28.6%) | 0.215 |
Cerebral infarction or hemorrhage or aneurysm | 18 (17.8%) | 12 (15.0%) | 6 (28.6%) | 0.198 |
Cardiovascular disease | 12 (11.9%) | 6 (7.5%) | 6 (28.6%) | 0.016 |
Other characteristics | | | | |
Dayly renal function, median eGFR (range) | 63.0 (6.7-178.0) | 62.5 (6.7-131.0) | 69.9 (30.0-178.0) | 0.302 |
Performance status (The ECOG score ≧ 2) | 27 (26.7%) | 16 (20.0%) | 11 (52.4%) | 0.005 |
Comparison between the patients with and without septic shock showed that those with septic shock were significantly older (median: 74 years; range: 34-90 years) than those without septic shock (median: 64 years; range: 29-78 years) (
p < 0.001) (Table
1). Patients with septic shock were significantly more likely to have bacteremia than those without septic shock (71.0% vs. 26.0%) (
p < 0.001). In patients with septic shock, there was a significantly shorter period from the onset of symptoms to drainage (median: 2 days; range: 0-16 days) than in those without septic shock (median: 3 days; range: 0-38 days) (
p < 0.001). Furthermore, patients with septic shock had a significantly longer hospital stay (median: 14 days; range: 1-95 days) than those without septic shock (median: 10 days; range: 1-171 days) (
p = 0.008). Moreover, the median white blood cell count and CRP level of patients with septic shock were significantly higher than those of patients without septic shock (21.3 × 1,000/μL and 23.2 mg/dl with septic shock vs. 11.9 × 1,000/μL and 14.7 mg/dl without septic shock) (
p = 0.009 and 0.005, respectively), while the median platelet count and serum albumin level of patients with septic shock were significantly lower (8.6 × 10,000/μL and 2.7 mg/dl with septic shock vs. 17.0 × 10,000/μL and 3.2 mg/dl without septic shock) (
p < 0.001 and
p = 0.017, respectively) (Table
2). Significantly more patients with septic shock had paralysis than among those without septic shock (33.3% vs. 5.0%,
p = 0.001). Significantly more patients with septic shock also had a history of cardiovascular disease (28.6% vs. 7.5%,
p = 0.016) and an ECOG performance status 2 (52.4% vs. 20.0%,
p = 0.005) (Table
3). However, diabetes mellitus was not a risk factor. Multivariate analysis revealed that old age (OR: 1.07,
p = 0.007) and the presence of paralysis (OR: 10.78,
p = 0.004) were independent risk factors for septic shock.