Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol for Patients Undergoing Ureteroscopy: Prospective Evaluation of an Opioid-Free Protocol.

A large part of the national opioid epidemic has been tied to prescription opioids, leading to a push to reduce or eliminate their use when feasible. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes of implementing an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol for patients undergoing ureteroscopic stone treatment with stent placement geared toward minimizing opioid use. We performed a pre-post study concerning a process improvement project of consecutive patients undergoing ureteroscopic stone treatment with stent placement utilizing a novel ERAS protocol.

Medical dissolution therapy for the treatment of uric acid nephrolithiasis.

Introduction: Uric acid (UA) nephrolithiasis represents 10% of kidney stones in the US with low urine pH and high saturation of UA as the main risk factors for stone development. Dissolution therapy for UA kidney stones via urinary alkalization has been described as a treatment option. We present our experience in treating UA nephrolithiasis with medical dissolution therapy.

Digital ureteroscopes: technology update.

The field of ureteroscopy has undergone a continual evolution since the first ureteroscopes were introduced. Over the past 10 years, we have entered into the digital era of ureteroscopy with both semirigid and flexible options becoming available. The following review looks at the benefits and drawbacks of digital flexible ureteroscopes as well as the current commercially available options.

Greater surgical precision of a flexible carbon dioxide laser fiber compared to monopolar electrosurgery in porcine myometrium.

The objective of this experimental animal study was to compare the surgical precision of a flexible CO2 laser fiber with that of monopolar electrosurgery in porcine myometrium. The subjects were 6 live adult non-pregnant female pigs. Linear injury to the uterine horns was created using a flexible CO2 laser fiber at 5W, 10W, and 15W and with monopolar electrosurgery at 10W, 20W, 30W, and 40W in both cut and coagulation modes.

Does hospital setting post robotic fellowship training affect outcomes? A multi-institutional comparison of initial outcomes between academic and community settings.

The effect of practice setting on skill development post robotic fellowship training is currently unknown. We sought to compare learning curves between a high-volume academic center and a similar volume community hospital, in the setting of building a new robotic prostatectomy program. In addition, we sought to characterize benchmarks for learning curve development for post-fellowship training in robotic surgery.

Parent and patient perceptions of robotic vs open urological surgery scars in children.

Purpose: Cumulative evidence shows that robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery is safe and at least as efficacious as open surgery for several pediatric urological procedures. Scars resulting from robotic surgery are often assumed to have a cosmetic advantage. However, no study has clearly demonstrated that parents and patients consistently prefer such scars.