#WCE2014 - Statin use and rates of sepsis following percutaneous nephrolithotomy - Interview

TAIPEI, TAIWAN (UroToday.com) - Introduction and Objectives: Recent empirical work suggests that statin medications may have anti-inflammatory and anti-endotoxin properties. While the effectiveness of statins in reducing the risk of sepsis in some medical and surgical populations has been examined, no study, as of yet, has explored it in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).

wceMethods: Using MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters Database (2002 to 2006), we identified working-age adults aged with urinary stone diseases, who were treated by PCNL. Among them, we determined those with a prescription fill for a statin agent prior to their surgery date. We then fitted logistic regression models to examine for differences in sepsis rates between patients on statin therapy and those who were not. In addition, we evaluated the utilization of intensive care services and length of hospitalization as a function of statin use.

Results: Over the study interval, we identified 2,548 patients who underwent PCNL, 20% of whom had a prescription filled for a statin agent preceding their surgery. The overall incidence of sepsis was 2.3%. After adjusting for health status and socio- demographic factors, statin users and non-users had a similar probability of sepsis post procedure (1.52% vs. 1.29%, respectively; P = 0.602). Use of intensive care services and mean length of hospitalization also did not differ between statin users and non-users (P = 0.553 and P = 0.314, respectively).

Conclusions: Our study does not support the use of statins for decreasing the risk of sepsis in patients undergoing PCNL. Practicing urologists should consider other known measures to prevent sepsis in this population.

Source of Funding: None

Listen to an interview with Abdulrahman Alruwaily, one of the authors of this study.

 

Presented by Abdulrahman Alruwaily,1 Brian Eisner,2 Maggie Bierlein,1 Khurshid Ghani,1
J Stuart Wolf,1 Brent Hollenbeck,1 and
John Hollingsworth1 at the 32nd World Congress of Endourology & SWL - September 3 - 7, 2014 - Taipei, Taiwan

1University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI USA
2Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA