The Impact of Timing of Stent Removal on the Incidence of UTI, Recurrence, Symptomatology, Resistance, and Hospitalization in Renal Transplant Recipients

Abstract

Purpose. To evaluate the impact of early (<3 weeks) versus late (>3 weeks) urinary stent removal on urinary tract infections (UTIs) post renal transplantation. Methods. A retrospective study was performed including all adult renal transplants who were transplanted between January 2017 and May 2020 with a minimum of 6-month follow-up at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results. A total of 279 kidney recipients included in the study were stratified into 114 in the early stent removal group (ESR) and 165 in the late stent removal group (LSR). Mean age was 43.4 ± 15.8; women: n: 114, 40.90%; and deceased donor transplant: n: 55, 19.70%. Mean stent removal time was 35.3 ± 28.0 days posttransplant (14.1 ± 4.6 days in the ESR versus 49.9 ± 28.1 days in LSR, p < 0.001 ). Seventy-four UTIs were diagnosed while the stents were in vivo or up to two weeks after the stent removal “UTIs related to the stent” (n = 20, 17.5% in ESR versus n = 54, 32.7% in LSR; p = 0.006 ). By six months after transplantation, there were 97 UTIs (n = 36, 31.6% UTIs in ESR versus n = 61, 37% in LSR; p = 0.373 ). Compared with UTIs diagnosed after stent removal, UTIs diagnosed while the stent was still in vivo tended to be complicated (17.9% versus 4.9%, p : 0.019), recurrent (66.1% versus 46.3%; p : 0.063), associated with bacteremia (10.7% versus 0%; p : 0.019), and requiring hospitalization (61% versus 24%, p : 0.024). Early stent removal decreased the need for expedited stent removal due to UTI reasons (rate of UTIs before stent removal) (n = 11, 9% in the early group versus n = 45, 27% in the late group; p = 0.001 ). The effect on the rate of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) was less clear (33% versus 47%, p : 0.205). Early stent removal was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of UTIs related to the stent (HR = 0.505, 95% CI: 0.302-0.844, p = 0.009 ) without increasing the incidence of urological complications. Removing the stent before 21 days posttransplantation decreased UTIs related to stent (aOR: 0.403, CI: 0.218-0.744). Removing the stent before 14 days may even further decrease the risk of UTIs (aOR: 0.311, CI: 0.035- 2.726). Conclusion. Early ureteric stent removal defined as less than 21 days post renal transplantation reduced the incidence of UTIs related to stent without increasing the incidence of urological complications. UTIs occurring while the ureteric stent still in vivo were notably associated with bacteremia and hospitalization. A randomized trial will be required to further determine the best timing for stent removal.

Urinary Tract Infections in the First 6 Months after Renal Transplantation

“…Nonetheless, the number of recipients who had urgent early removal of their stent was too low to yield conclusive statements. Our group had previously suggested that studying “UTIs related to urinary stent” defined as UTIs while the ureteral stent is still in vivo and up to two weeks after its removal is a better indicator of the impact of the timing of stent removal than reviewing UTIs for a total duration of 3 or 6 months after transplantation [ 29 ]. Multiple other studies have examined the impact of stent removal at different intervals form renal transplantation including at 4 weeks [ 30 ], 3 weeks [ 31 ], 2 weeks [ 32 ], one week [ 33 ], or 5 days [ 34 ] after renal transplantation.…”

Urinary tract infection in the context of mini-invasive procedures after kidney transplantation

“…In many studies, a fi nding of ≥ 10 5 CFU/ml of urine was defi nied as a positive urine fi nding (3,9,10). According to the guidelines published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) asymptomatic bacteriuria is defi ned as the presence of at least one type of bacterial growth in urine with a bacterial count ≥ 10 5 CFU/ml irrespective of whether pyuria is present or not and if there are no symptoms or signs attributable to UTI (11).…”

Bacterial Urinary Tract Infection and Early Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Kidney Transplantation Still Negatively Affect Kidney Transplant Outcomes in the Era of Modern Immunosuppression and Cotrimoxazole Prophylaxis

“…Previous studies have demonstrated a benefit in reducing stent-related UTI if the ureteric stent is removed between 7 and 14 days, compared with beyond 4–6 weeks after transplantation [ 61 , 62 ]. However, the incidence of total UTI at 6 months post-transplantation was not different according to whether stents are removed early or late in one study [ 63 ]. Currently, we are trying to decrease the time to stent removal in our center to minimize the risk of stent-related UTI without increasing the risk of urologic complications.…”