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Introduction: American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines suggest metabolic testing via 24-h urine studies in high-risk, interested first-time stone formers, and recurrent stone formers. If metabolic testing is not available or otherwise not feasible, clinicians may need to utilize empiric therapy. Debility and social barriers, particularly in the elderly population, may limit the practicality of metabolic testing, and therefore, empiric therapy is of particular importance. The aim of this study is to identify whether unique urinary metabolic abnormality profiles exist for octogenarians with calcium oxalate kidney stones, as this may guide empiric stone prevention therapy more precisely in this population., Materials and Methods: Patients with calcium oxalate stones from a single academic kidney stone center in New York, NY, were retrospectively identified in our prospectively managed database. Patient data, including demographic, clinical information, and baseline 24-h urine studies, were collected before initiating any treatment. Subjects were stratified by age (≤ 40, 41-59, 60-79, and ≥ 80 years) to compare the metabolic urinary abnormality profiles between octogenarians and other age groups. Subgroup analyses were also performed to compare results by gender and by the presence of underlying kidney dysfunction. Comparative statistical analysis was carried out using Chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and t-tests where appropriate., Results: Hypocitraturia, low urine pH, and low urine volume were most common in older patients, particularly in octogenarians. Hypercalciuria, hypernatriuria, and hyperuricosuria were more apparent in younger groups., Conclusion: With increasing age, hypocitraturia, low urine pH, and low urine volume were more prevalent on 24-h urine metabolic testing. We hypothesize increased comorbidity, including medical renal disease, polypharmacy, and dehydration are possible factors contributing to this unique profile. We suggest that empiric therapy targeted towards this profile is important in very elderly stone formers in whom 24-h urine testing may not be possible. Increased hydration, increased fruit and vegetable intake, and low-dose alkali therapy are easy measures to accomplish this., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: The opioid epidemic in the United States is an ongoing public health crisis that is in part fueled by excessive prescribing by physicians. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a procedure that conventionally involves opioid prescriptions for adequate post-operative pain control. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a non-opioid pain regimen by evaluating post-operative outcomes in PCNL patients discharged without opioids., Materials and Methods: As a quality improvement measure to reduce opioid consumption our department began routinely prescribing oral ketorolac instead of oxycodone-acetaminophen for pain control after PCNL. We retrospectively compared patients undergoing PCNL who had received ketorolac prescriptions (NSAID) to those who received oxycodone-acetaminophen prescriptions (NARC). Demographic, operative, and post-operative factors were obtained and compared in both groups. Peri-operative factors and demographics were compared using either Chi-squared tests, Mann-Whitney U tests. Surgical outcomes were compared between the two groups using Chi-squared tests and Fisher's exact tests. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether ketorolac use was an independent predictor of post-surgical pain-related encounters. Primary outcome was unplanned pain-related healthcare encounters inclusive of office phone calls, unscheduled office visits, and emergency department (ED) visits. Secondary outcome measures were non-pain-related healthcare encounters, hospital readmissions, pain-related rescue medications prescribed, and post-op complications., Results: There were similar demographics and peri-operative characteristics amongst patients in both cohorts. There was no significant difference identified between NSAID and NARC regarding unplanned pain-related encounters (8/70, 11.4% vs. 10/70, 14.3%, p = 0.614). However, NARC experienced more unplanned phone calls (42, 60% vs. 24, 34.3%, p = 0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed only prior stone surgery was predictive of pain-related encounters after PCNL (p = 0.035)., Conclusion: Our results show that there were no significant differences in pain-related encounters between those who received ketorolac and oxycodone-acetaminophen following PCNL. A non-opioid pathway may mitigate the potential risk associated with opioid prescription without compromising analgesia. Prospective comparative studies are warranted to confirm feasibility., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)