Aim: The International Continence Society (ICS) has standardized quality control and interpretation of uroflowmetry and urodynamics. We evaluated traces from two large studies of male lower urinary tract symptoms (UPSTREAM and UNBLOCS) against ICS standards of urodynamic equipment and practice. Methods: Ten percent of uroflowmetry and urodynamics traces were selected at random from hospital sites. A data capture template was designed from the ICS Fundamentals of Urodynamic Practice checklist. Two pretrained blinded assessors extracted the data, with a third assessor to arbitrate. Departmental records of calibration checks and equipment maintenance were scrutinized. Results: Seven out of twenty-five (28%) departments reported no calibration checks. Four sites (16%) could not provide annual service records. In 32 out of 296 (10.8%) uroflowmetry traces, findings were affected by artifact. One hundred ten urodynamic study traces were reviewed; in 11 records (10%), key pressure traces were incompletely displayed. In 30 (27.2%), reference zero was not set to atmospheric pressure. Resting pressures were outside the expected range for 36 (32.7%). Pressure drift was seen in 18 traces (16.4%). At pressureflow study commencement, permission to void was omitted in 15 (13.6%).Cough testing after voiding was done in 71.2%, but the resulting cough spikes were significantly different in 16.5%. Erroneous diagnosis of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) was identified in six cases (5.5%).Conclusions: Erroneous diagnosis of BOO is a serious error of interpretation, as it could lead to unnecessary surgery. Other errors of standardization, testing, and interpretation were identified with lower risk of adverse implications. ---This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Readmission from urological surgery is common, with a readmission rate for day case surgery of 3.7% and 26% for robot-assisted cystectomy. Readmission to secondary care and representation to primary care are both expensive and preventable. This project aimed to reduce both and also enhance the care of patients following urological surgery in a large tertiary referral centre, within the National Health Service. A retrospective telephone follow-up (TFU) survey was set up in the early postoperatively period to measure reattendance and readmission rates and perception of care received. Patients were also asked to suggest how improvement could be made. Quality improvement tools were used to optimise and review the methods and timing of TFU. TFU was initiated as a strategy to enhance care and reduce readmission rates. Phone calls were targeted to occur between 48 and 72 hours following discharge. During the intervention period, 484 phone calls were attempted with 343 being successful. Reattendance rates were reduced by 13% and patient satisfaction improved by 19.6%, following TFU. This intervention also generated additional income for the organisation and enhanced patient satisfaction in the early postoperative period.

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Objective In view of changing landscape of surgical treatment for LUTS secondary to BPE, this audit was undertaken to assess key aspects of the processes and outcomes of the current interventional treatments for BPE, across different units in the UK. Materials and method A multi-institutional snapshot audit was conducted for patients undergoing interventions for LUTS/BPE over 8-week period. Using Delphi process two-part proforma was designed to capture data. Results 529 patients were included across 20 NHS trusts in England and Wales. Median age was 73 years. Indications for surgery were acute retention (47%) and LUTS (45%). 80% of patients had prior medical therapy. TURP formed the commonest procedure. 27% patients had <23 hour hospital stay. Immediate (21%) and delayed (18%) complications were Clavien-Dindo <2 category. High proportion of patients reported residual symptoms. Type and indication of surgery were significant predictor of complications, length of stay and failure of TWOC outcomes, on multivariate analyses. There were variations in departmental processes, 50% centres used PROMs. Conclusion Monopolar TURP still remains the commonest intervention for BPE. Most departments are adopting newer technologies. The audit identified opportunities for development of consistent, effective and patient centric practices as well as need for large-scale focused studies.

Tranexamic acid has been shown to be an effective agent in reducing blood loss in various surgical procedures; however, there is a dearth of evidence for its use and potential side effects in urological surgical procedures. This review discusses the pathophysiology of tranexamic acid, its use in traumatic and surgical bleeding and the current evidence for its potential utilisation in urological surgery.

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Objective To determine if the practice of active surveillance for prostate cancer (PCa) at the District General Hospital (DGH) level produces outcomes in keeping with those published from clinical trials. Subjects A cohort of 47 patients started on active surveillance for prostate cancer in 2002–2003. Methods Retrospective review of case notes, electronic records and the regional cancer register. Results This cohort of patients had significantly higher disease-specific mortality and greater progression to palliative forms of management compared to previously published studies. Conclusion The implementation of AS in routine clinical practice may be inconsistent, potentially leading to compromised patient outcomes.

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