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Fentanyl-mixed and substituted heroin is well-documented, but less is known about unintentional fentanyl use among people using stimulants. To determine the prevalence of and racial and ethnic disparities in unintentional fentanyl use among people experiencing a medically attended opioid overdose, we reviewed 448 suspected non-fatal overdose cases attended by a community paramedic overdose response team in San Francisco from June to September 2022. We applied a case definition for opioid overdose to paramedic records and abstracted data on intended substance use prior to overdose. Among events meeting case criteria with data on intended substance use, intentional opioid use was reported by 57.3%, 98.0% of whom intended to use fentanyl. No intentional opioid use was reported by 42.7%, with most intending to use stimulants (72.6%), including methamphetamine and cocaine. No intentional opioid use was reported by 58.5% of Black, 52.4% of Latinx, and 28.8% of White individuals (p = 0.021), and by 57.6% of women and 39.5% of men (p = 0.061). These findings suggest that unintentional fentanyl use among people without opioid tolerance may cause a significant proportion of opioid overdoses in San Francisco. While intentional fentanyl use might be underreported, the magnitude of self-reported unintentional use merits further investigation to confirm this phenomenon, explore mechanisms of use and disparities by race and ethnicity, and deploy targeted overdose prevention interventions.

PurposeWe aimed to provide a thorough comparative review of the available guidelines on the diagnosis, management, and follow-up for patients with posterior urethral stenosis by the American Urologic Association (2016), Société Internationale d'Urologie (2010), and European Urologic Association (2022).MethodsThe AUA, SIU, and EAU guidelines were evaluated for recommendations on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of posterior urethral stenosis. We also included the EAU and AUA urologic trauma guidelines for the trauma-related stenosis. The level or strength of recommendations is included in case of disparity between the guidelines.ResultsThe three guidelines align considerably in recommendations provided for the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients with posterior urethral stenosis. SIU and EAU emphasize the role of repeat endoscopic treatment in guidelines compared to AUA.ConclusionThe preferred method to repair bulbo-membranous stricture/stenosis following radiation therapy remains an area of active interest, focusing on continence preservation. Additionally, there may be a role for advanced endoscopic treatments with or without adjunct therapies to manage even obliterated stenoses.

PurposeWe aimed to provide a detailed comparison between the American Urologic Association (AUA), Société Internationale d'Urologie (SIU), and the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines on the evaluation, management, and follow-up of the patients with anterior urethral stricture disease (USD).MethodsThe urethral stricture guidelines from SUI, AUA, and EAU were collected and evaluated regarding the recommendations on diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of anterior USD. The strength of evidence for each statement was included and discussed when guidelines differed.ResultsWhile the guidelines remarkably align in terms of the diagnostic workup and follow-up, there is discordance in the management of anterior urethral strictures, specifically for the use of endoscopic treatment and stenting. Further, the EAU offers more comprehensive recommendations regarding urethroplasty techniques and patient follow-up. The EAU guidelines are the most recent and first to offer guidance for USD in transgender people and women.ConclusionReconstructive urology is a rapidly adapting field, and best practices change accordingly. Guideline statements have become more inclusive and expansive but will require further research to improve the level of evidence and continue to provide patients and providers with the best treatment plans.

IntroductionOur primary aim was to characterize eventual publication of presented American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting oncology abstracts from 1997 to 2017. We hypothesized that the percentage of abstracts presented at the AUA Annual Meeting that became published peer-reviewed manuscripts increased over time.MethodsAUA Annual Meeting abstracts in "oncology" categories from 1997 to 2017 were identified. A random sample of 100 abstracts per year were assessed for publication. An abstract was considered "published" if 1) first and last author of the abstract were included on publication, 2) abstract and publication shared 1 conclusion, and 3) publication occurred from 1 year prior to the AUA Annual Meeting up to 10 years after. The search was conducted on PubMed® utilizing the MEDLINE® database.ResultsOver the 20-year observation period, 2,100 abstracts were reviewed and 56.3% were published. The number of journals in which manuscripts were published increased from 1997 to 2017 (R2=0.58, p

PurposeTo evaluate the rate of perioperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) among patients undergoing common benign urologic reconstructive cases. We hypothesize that this rate will be lower than previously described.MethodsWe utilized the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database from 2015 to 2019 to evaluate 30-day perioperative risk of VTE. Patients ≥ 18 years old undergoing benign urologic reconstructive cases were selected using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Demographic, comorbidity, and operative variables were captured. The primary outcome was VTE within the 30-day postoperative period.ResultsWe identified 8467 patients who met inclusion criteria. The majority of patients were male (> 95%) with an average age of 65 and BMI of 29.6. There were 23 VTE events (0.27%) within the 30-day perioperative period. Fourteen (14/59) procedures had a perioperative VTE. Many of the traditional factors for VTE including operative time and obesity significantly increased risk of VTE in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, only BMI (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.01-1.12) and inpatient status (OR 4.42; 95% CI 1.9-10.2) were correlated with increased perioperative VTE.ConclusionThe rate of VTE among patients undergoing benign urologic reconstructive cases is low. Providers should continue to have high index of suspicion particularly for inpatients with high BMI in addition to other known risk factors for VTE.

Peyronie's disease (PD) is a fibrotic disorder of the tunica albuginea that may result in penile deformity, pain, a palpable plaque, and erectile dysfunction. In order to understand the psycho-sexual impacts of PD on patients and their partners, we selected three online forums containing the largest number of threads on PD. Threads focusing on the psycho-sexual impacts posted from January 1, 2011 to January 1, 2021 were compiled, and thematic analysis was performed on Dedoose. There were 277 unique posters, including 225 patients and 52 partners. Eighty-four categories and five themes were developed including information and social support, physical symptoms, psycho-sexual symptoms, treatment and effect, and impacts on partners and relationship. Emotional distress including depressed mood (n = 75, 33.3%) and feelings of isolation (n = 41, 18.2%) was prevalent. Partners developed sexual dysfunction including sexual dissatisfaction (n = 11, 21.2%) and dyspareunia (n = 4, 7.7%). Relationships experienced disruption (n = 14, 5.1%) or termination (n = 10, 3.6%). Posters received psychological treatment including psychotherapy (n = 20, 8.9%) and antidepressants (n = 17, 7.6%). Of these, 12 reported improvement and 11 stated no improvement. On these forums, psychological burden affecting individuals with PD and their partners is reported. Few seek help from a psychologist or therapist, and psychological distress may persist even after successful PD treatment. Further research is needed to identify strategies for effective psychological management.

BackgroundThe obesity paradox has been recently demonstrated in trauma patients, where improved survival was associated with overweight and obese patients compared to patients with normal weight, despite increased morbidity. Little is known whether this effect is mediated by lower injury severity. We aim to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and renal trauma injury grade, morbidity, and in-hospital mortality.MethodsA retrospective cohort of adults with renal trauma was conducted using 2013-2016 National Trauma Data Bank. Multiple regression analyses were used to assess outcomes of interest across BMI categories with normal weight as reference, while adjusting for relevant covariates including kidney injury grade.ResultsWe analyzed 15181 renal injuries. Increasing BMI above normal progressively decreased the risk of high-grade renal trauma (HGRT). Subgroup analysis showed that this relationship was maintained in blunt injury, but there was no association in penetrating injury. Overweight (OR 1.02, CI 0.83-1.25, p = 0.841), class I (OR 0.92, CI 0.71-1.19, p = 0.524), and class II (OR 1.38, CI 0.99-1.91, p = 0.053) obesity were not protective against mortality, whereas class III obesity (OR 1.46, CI 1.03-2.06, p = 0.034) increased mortality odds. Increasing BMI by category was associated with a stepwise increase in odds of acute kidney injury, cardiovascular events, total hospital length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit LOS, and ventilator days.ConclusionsIncreasing BMI was associated with decreased risk of HGRT in blunt trauma. Overweight and obesity were associated with increased morbidity but not with a protective effect on mortality. The obesity paradox does not exist in kidney trauma when injury grade is accounted for.

ObjectiveTo assess provider and practice characteristics that drive opioid prescription behavior using the American Urological Association census data.MethodsStratified weighted analysis using 1,157 census samples was performed to represent 12,660 urologists who practiced in the United States in 2018. We compared urologists according to their opioid prescription patterns to evaluate factors and motivations behind opioid use in the post-operative setting.ResultsOverall, 11,205 (88.5%) urologists prescribe opioids in the post-operative setting. The presence of procedure-specific institutional prescribing guidelines was associated with a greater tendency to prescribe ≤10 pills, and lesser tendency to prescribe 11 to 49 and ≥50 tablets following open abdominal (P = .003), laparoscopic (P < .001), scrotal (P < .001), and endoscopic surgeries (P < .001). The presence of institutional prescribing guidelines was associated with decreasing opioid prescriptions over a three-year period whereas not having guidelines was associated with an unchanged prescription practice over time. Basing current prescriptions on what was given to prior patients was reported by 85% and was more likely to result in an unchanged amount of prescriptions over time (29.2% vs 13.3%, P = .007). Motivations to avoid patient phone calls were reported by 23.8% and were more likely to increase the opioids provided within the next 3 years (3.2% vs 0.1%, P < .001).ConclusionPractitioners who endorsed using institutional guidelines prescribed fewer opioids following all types of surgery and were more likely to decrease their prescription behavior over time. This data supports continued efforts to provide urologists with more evidence-based guidance on best practice opioid prescribing in the future.