The Evaluation of Hemoglobin Fluctuation After Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the fluctuation of haemoglobin value after performing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in the treatment of kidney stones. We conducted a retrospective study and we included 327 patients who underwent PCNL for renal lithiasis. We evaluated the risk factors for bleeding: location of stones, complexity of lithiasis, length of postoperative hospitalization days, variation of post-operative laboratory constants (haemoglobin, haematocrit). Patients were divided into two age groups: group A (patients under 70 years old) and group B (patients over 70 years). Gender distribution was: 171 female and 156 male. In most of the cases, the stones were located in the renal pelvis (133 cases), multiple lithiasis (105 cases) and staghorn stones (48 cases). There was no statistical difference between the patient�s groups concerning the decrease of post-operative Hgb concentration and complexity of the litiasis, p = 0.10. The average length of post-operative hospitalisation was 3.91 +/- 1.78 SD days in patients who did not have significant hemorrhage and 6.40 +/- 2.35 SD days in patients with intra- and post-operative haemorrhage. The postoperative Hgb levels correlated with post-operative days of hospitalization in elderly patients (rr = -0.44, p = 0.0001). Stone complexity, the size, number or localization of the stones, were not risk factors for the decrease of haemoglobin level after PCNL. Decreased postoperative haemoglobin values can led to increased number of hospitalization days.