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IntroductionCurrent trends show a rising incidence of kidney stone disease (KSD) globally, with a lifetime risk of 10% and increasing hospital admissions. However, it is not perceived as a life-threatening condition and there are no publications examining its mortality rate. The aim of this review was to report on the number of KSD mortalities in the literature from the past two decades, identify risk factors, and to summarize their key learning points.MethodsA search was conducted for full-text English language articles that reported on KSD associated mortality, following intervention or conservative treatment, published between 1999 and 2017, using PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, Clinicaltrials.gov, Google Scholar and The Cochrane Library. Study quality and risk of bias assessment was undertaken using a validated critical appraisal tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute.ResultsOf the 2786 articles identified, 34 were included. Of the total number of reported mortalities (2550), 21% were related to intervention. Sepsis was the leading cause of mortality. Risk factors identified were patients with multiple co-morbidities, spinal cord injury or neurogenic bladder and high stone burden. The main recommendations suggested were to treat pre-operative UTI or use prophylactic antibiotics and to reduce operative duration. The included studies were of moderate to good quality.ConclusionPre-procedural optimization of the patients is the key to avoiding KSD mortality, and care should be taken in patients with multiple co-morbidities. Surgeons should meticulously plan for patients with high stone burden to reduce their operative time, as mortality can be procedural related.

IntroductionThe aim of this paper was to give a complete overview of all published complications associated with ureteroscopy and their according management and prevention in current urological practice.Materials and methodsThis review was registered in PROSPERO with registration number CRD42018116273. A bibliographic search of the Medline, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science databases was performed by two authors (V.D.C. and E.X.K.). According to the Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome (PICO) study design approach and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) standards, a consensus between these authors was found relating to the thematic structure of this review.ResultsUreteral stent discomfort, ureteral wall injury and stone migration are the most frequently reported complications. The worst complications include urosepsis, multi-organ failure and death. Incidence rates on these and other complications varied extensively between the reviewed reports.ConclusionUreteroscopy seems to be associated with more complications than currently reported. The present overview may help urologists to prevent, recognize and solve complications of ureteroscopy. It may also stimulate colleagues to perform prospective studies using standardized systems for classifying complications. These are warranted to compare results among different studies, to conduct meta-analyses, to inform health care workers and to counsel patients correctly about possible risks of ureteroscopy.

Purpose of ReviewTo present the latest evidence related to the predictors of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and urosepsis after ureteroscopy (URS) for stone disease.Recent FindingsOur review suggests that almost half of all post-URS complications are related to infectious complications although reported rates of urosepsis were low. The use of antibiotic prophylaxis, treatment of pre-operative UTI, and low procedural time seem to reduce this risk. However, the risk is higher in patients with higher Charlson comorbidity index, elderly patients, female gender, long duration of pre-procedural indwelling ureteric stents and patients with a neurogenic bladder and with high BMI.SummaryInfectious complications following ureteroscopy can be a source of morbidity and potential mortality. Although majority of these are minor, efforts must be taken to minimise them especially in high-risk patients. This includes the use of prophylactic antibiotics, limiting stent dwell and procedural time, prompt identification and treatment of UTI and urosepsis, and careful planning in patients with large stone burden and multiple comorbidities.

Data science is an interdisciplinary field that extracts knowledge and insights from many structural and unstructured data, using scientific methods, data mining techniques, machine-learning algorithms, and big data. The healthcare industry generates large datasets of useful information on patient demography, treatment plans, results of medical examinations, insurance, etc. The data collected from the Internet of Things (IoT) devices attract the attention of data scientists. Data science provides aid to process, manage, analyze, and assimilate the large quantities of fragmented, structured, and unstructured data created by healthcare systems. This data requires effective management and analysis to acquire factual results. The process of data cleansing, data mining, data preparation, and data analysis used in healthcare applications is reviewed and discussed in the article. The article provides an insight into the status and prospects of big data analytics in healthcare, highlights the advantages, describes the frameworks and techniques used, briefs about the challenges faced currently, and discusses viable solutions. Data science and big data analytics can provide practical insights and aid in the decision-making of strategic decisions concerning the health system. It helps build a comprehensive view of patients, consumers, and clinicians. Data-driven decision-making opens up new possibilities to boost healthcare quality.

Controversies exist on the influence of lower pole anatomy (infundibular pelvic angle, IPA; infundibular length, IL; and infundibular width, IW) for success and outcomes related to the treatment of stones in the lower pole. We wanted to look at the role of lower pole anatomy to study clinical outcomes in patients treated for isolated lower pole stones (LPS) using retrograde intra renal surgery (RIRS), and also perform a review to look at the published literature on the influence of pelvicalyceal anatomy on success with RIRS. Data were prospectively collected (June 2013–June 2016) for all patients who underwent RIRS for LPS, and the imaging was then retrospectively reviewed to calculate the IPA, IL and IW using the Elbahnasy method. A systematic review was also conducted for all English language articles between January 2000 and April 2018, reporting on the impact of pelvicaliceal anatomy on RIRS. A total of 108 patients with LPS were included with a male to female ratio of 2:3 and a mean age of 54.7 years. The mean lower pole stone size was 9.3 mm (range 3–29 mm) and 102/108 (94.4%) patients were stone free (SF) at the end of their procedure. While steep IPA (< 30°), operative time duration and larger stone size were significant predictors of failure, the placement of ureteric access sheath, IW and IL did not influence treatment outcomes. Six studies (460 patients) met the inclusion criteria for our review. The IPA, IW, IL for failure ranged from 26° to 38°, 5.5–7 mm and 24–34 mm, respectively. The SFR ranged from 78 to 88% with a metaanalysis showing IPA as the most important predictor of treatment outcomes for LPS. Infundibular pelvic angle seems to be the most important predictor for the treatment of LPS using RIRS. Pelvicalyceal anatomy in conjunction with stone size and hardness seem to dictate the success, and decisions on the type of surgical interventions should reflect this.

To explore the relationship between citrus fruit juices (oranges, grapefruits, and lemonades) and kidney stone disease (KSD). Methods: A systematic review was performed using the Medline, EMBASE, and Scopus databases, in concordance with the PRISMA checklist for all English, French, and Spanish language studies regarding the consumption of citrus fruit juices and the relationship to urinary stone disease. The main outcome of interest was the association of citrus fruit juices with KSD. Results: Thirteen articles met the criteria for inclusion in the final review. Three large epidemiological studies found that grapefruit juice was a risk factor for stone formation, while orange juice did not increase the risk for KSD. Ten small prospective clinical studies found that orange, grapefruit, and lemon juices all increased urinary citrate levels. Only orange and grapefruit juices had an alkalinizing effect and while lemon juice has a protective effect by raising urinary citrate levels, it lacked a significant alkalinizing effect on urine pH. Orange juice and grapefruit juices significantly increased urinary oxalate levels, while orange juice also had a high carbohydrate content. Conclusion: While orange juice seems to play a protective role against stone formation, grapefruit was found to raise the risk of KSD in epidemiological studies but had a protective role in smaller clinical studies. Lemon juice had a smaller protective role than orange juice. Larger amounts of, as well as more accurate, data is needed before recommendations can be made and a high carbohydrate content in these juices needs to be taken into consideration.

Purpose of ReviewThe purpose of this study was to review the current evidence for quality of life (QOL) in patients with kidney stone disease (KSD).Recent FindingsA review of literature from inception to May 2016 for all prospective English language articles on QOL in patients with KSD was done. QOL studies post urological procedures or ureteric stents were excluded. Nine studies (1570 patients) were included of which most (n = 6) used the SF-36 QOL tool. Overall, seven of the nine studies demonstrated a lower QOL in patients with KSD. Bodily pain and general health were significantly lower in patients with KSD compared to their control groups.SummaryPatients with KSD have an overall lower QOL with most impact on bodily pain and general health domains. Compared to the scale of patients suffering from KSD, more work needs to be done in measuring QOL both in terms of ‘Stone specific’ QOL measuring tools and the quality/number of studies in this field.

Purpose of ReviewThere are three technological parameters that play a key role on the performance of an ideal stent. These are its material, design and surface coating. This article highlights some fundamental developments that took place in these three areas of stent’s technology, in order to contribute to the identification of an ideal stent.Recent FindingsIn addition to technological developments concerning stent’s material, design and surface coating, the flow dynamic performance of stents has recently attracted increasing attention. Notably, it has been postulated that the local flow field in a stent is correlated with the deposition of crystals and microorganisms. These findings could potentially revolutionise future stent’s designs, and complement developments made on materials and coatings.SummaryThe most relevant changes in materials, designs and surface coatings of ureteric stents are reviewed in this article. These are described in the context of a specific cause of stent’s failure they aim to address, with a particular focus on encrustation and biofilm formation.