What Is A Kidney Stent

Youll Have Physical Limitations After A Stent Procedure

A stent procedure usually doesnt take more than 60 minutes, and most patients will be released from the hospital in one or two days.

According to Sanjiv Patel, MD, an interventional cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center, many patients can even return to a sedentary office job within a few days to a week after the procedure.

However, you shouldnt lift more than 10 to 15 pounds for about a week after the procedure, and if your job requires manual labor or being on your feet all day, you should talk with your doctor before returning to work.

After receiving a stent, it is normal to feel tired or a bit weak for a few days, and its not uncommon to experience some pain or soreness at the catheter site. If you received a stent because of a heart attack, you will likely feel tired for several weeks, Patel says.

While you should be able to resume daily activities, like walking, eating, and daily hygiene shortly after the procedure, its wise to wait a bit longer for exercise or more rigorous activity.

Be smart about what you do at home, Patel says. In the beginning for recovery purposes, take it easy for a week or two and ease back into physical activities.

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What Are The Advantages Of Stents

Advantages of stents include:

• They help blood flow better through the artery where theyre placed.
• Along with angioplasty, they can stop a heart attack.
• They improve your symptoms, such as shortness of breath and chest pain .
• They may keep your artery from getting too narrow again.
• People who have a heart stent put in recover faster than those who have coronary artery bypass surgery .

When To Call Your Doctor Regarding Your Ureteral Stent

While ureteral stents may be uncomfortable and unpleasant, they are typically a safe and routine intervention. However, patients should be aware of possible signs of an infection or other complications that may require emergency medical attention. Call your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms while your stent is in place:

• A burning sensation while urination
• Changes in the characteristics of your urine, including color or smell
• Kidney pain or other abdomen pain
• Other unexpected symptoms or side effects

A ureteral stent may not always be comfortable but, when compared to the pain and possible kidney damage caused by a ureteral blockage, the procedure offers a welcome alternative that preserves the health and function of your kidneys. If youre experiencing pain due to a potential ureteral blockage, talk to your doctor today.

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When Should I Call The Doctor

Call the doctor right away if your child has a fever with shaking chills, back pain, or pain while peeing.

Also call the doctor if your child:

• has foul-smelling or cloudy pee
• has blood clots in the pee
• has pee that looks like tomato juice
• has pain that doesn’t get better with the recommended medicine
• has severe pain

Kidney Stent Side Effects

Kidney stent side effects are usually mild but can, in some cases, be severe. In the majority of patients, kidney stents are required for only a short period of time. This could typically range from a few weeks to a few months. When the underlying problem is not a kidney stone, the stent can stay in for several months.

While side effects are usually mild, a stent can sometimes be very uncomfortable.

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What Can I Expect After Surgery

Before your child is discharged you will be given written information about his care at home and any questions you have will be answered.

• Diet: Resume regular diet as tolerated. Have your child drink plenty of fluids, as there could be blood in the urine. This will keep the urine clear and make it less irritating to the bladder and urethra while peeing.
• Activity: May return to school or daycare when pain is well controlled.
• Bathing: Ok to take a bath the day of surgery. Bathe in plain water for the next week. A daily warm bath will help healing and provide comfort.
• Medicines: Pain can be controlled by alternating Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen®. Do not give aspirin because it may cause bleeding.
• If your child is prescribed an antibiotic, follow your surgeonâs specific instructions.
• Your surgeon may provide a prescription for medicine which should help relieve bladder spasms while the catheter is in place, follow your surgeonâs specific instructions. Do not give the bladder spasm medicine the night before his catheter is scheduled to be removed.

Whats The Prognosis For Someone Who Has Ureteral Stents

Ureteral stents are generally safe. They dont typically cause any long-term problems.

Despite the risk of annoying side effects, ureteral stents are helpful. Ureteral stents often allow kidney stones to pass. They also work well to resolve ureteral obstructions. Left untreated, a ureteral obstruction can lead to life-threatening kidney failure and .

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When Is A Kidney Stent Used

Although there are different types of stents, they all serve the same purpose. The purpose of a stent is to allow drainage of urine from the kidneys to the bladder, whenever there is blockage of the ureters.

Ureteric Stent is sometimes used in the following circumstances:

• When it is essential to relieve obstruction on a temporary basis, before treatment of the underlying condition is carried out.

• It is not possible to identify what has caused an obstruction and immediate treatment is necessary.

• Following an operation on the ureters. It takes time for the ureters to heal, so stents are used as a temporary measure to prevent obstruction and allow the ureters to heal properly.

Why Would You Need A Stent

If a fatty substance called plaque builds up inside an artery, it can reduce blood flow to your heart. This is called coronary heart disease and it can cause chest pain.

The plaque can also cause a blood clot that blocks blood flowing to your heart, which may lead to a heart attack.

By keeping an artery open, stents lower your risk of chest pain. They can also treat a heart attack thats in progress.

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How Is The Stent Removed

If the string is visible outside the body, it can be simply removed in office without the use of any procedures or specialty equipment. This is used for short term stents . A nurse practitioner can do this in the office within days of your surgery.

Ureteral stents that do not have a visible string, or were placed to allow a longer healing period, will require a minor in-office procedure.

A small, flexible scope called a cystoscope is placed into the urethra that allows the doctor to visualize the stent from inside the bladder. Then, the doctor grasps the stent with tiny clamps attached to the scope and removes the stent.

A physician must do this procedure, and it must be scheduled ahead of time. An X-ray may be required prior to removing the stent to ensure no large stone fragments are visible. Large fragments that havent passed may require additional procedures. In these cases, the stent would remain in place.

What Is Known To Date

Such patients are frequently encountered. Despite a lack of physiologic explanation as to why these non-obstructing stones may cause pain, there is emerging evidence that they do and therefore that removal can cure it.

In 2006 Taub et al. described outcomes of twenty such patients who had chronic flank pain as well as radiographically evident calcifications within their papillae without obvious collecting system stones. Ureteroscopy with laser papillotomy to unroof and remove all evident stone was performed on twenty seven kidneys. Pain improvement was seen in 85% of cases with a durable improvement for greater than one year in nearly 60% of cases.

This study was then repeated on a multi-institutional level with 65 patients undergoing similar procedures over a ten year period. Overall there were 176 procedures performed in this cohort with patients reporting less pain after the procedure 85% of the time. The mean duration of response was 26 months with 60% of patients having sustainable improvements in their pain levels for over one year.

Finally, this clinical scenario is seen commonly enough that it garnered its own nickname at Massachusetts General Hospital where it has been described as small stone syndrome. In a retrospective review of patients treated there with ureteroscopic removal of small nonobstructing stones for reasons related to chronic pain, 11/13 patients reported being pain free after the procedure with the other two noting a partial response.

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Kidney Stent And Urinary Tract Infection

The presence of a stent, along with the underlying kidney problem, makes it more likely that a urinary tract infection can develop. If a patient develops urinary tract infection, some of the symptoms may include raised body temperature, increased pain or discomfort in the kidney or bladder area, a burning sensation while passing urine and feeling unwell. This usually requires treatment with antibiotics.

It is essential for patients with a ureteric stent to drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of fluids every day. This will help to minimize the risk of infection and will reduce the amount of blood in the urine. It will also help with the treatment of kidney stones.

Any patient with a stent who experiences bothersome pain can take painkillers for relief, on the advice of a doctor. If the stent has a thread coming down from the urethra and extends outside the body, then extra care should be taken, to avoid dislodging the thread.

If you have a kidney stent or are about to have one inserted, you should talk to your doctor about all the implications, including side effects and restriction of any activities. Check with your doctor, immediately, if you experience any severe symptoms or if the stent gets dislodged or falls out.

How Will I Feel After Surgery

Your doctor will prescribe medications after surgery. Generally, these may include an antibiotic to prevent infection, pain medication, and perhaps something to treat bladder spasms and burning with urination.

Drink plenty of water to lubricate the stent and encourage any small stones to move out of the kidney. You will likely feel a more frequent urge to urinate, so you may want to stay close to a bathroom.

You can resume normal activities the next day, or as soon as you feel comfortable. Skip high-intensity workouts until after your stent is removed. Some pain medications restrict activities like driving, so check the warnings on the label. Your doctor will have additional recommendations for you to follow.

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Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Or Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy

If your stone is large or lithotripsy doesn’t break it up enough, this surgery is an option. PCNL uses a small tube to reach the stone and break it up with high-frequency sound waves.

You will be given something so that you wonât be awake during this surgery. Your surgeon will make a small cut in your back or side and place a thin scope into the hole.

The surgery can be done in one of two ways:

Nephrolithotomy: Your surgeon removes the stone through a tube

Nephrolithotripsy: Your surgeon uses sound waves or a laser to break up the stone and then vacuums up the pieces with a suction machine.

The surgery takes 20 to 45 minutes. You’ll typically have to stay in the hospital for a day or two afterward. Usually, a stent will have to stay in your kidney for a few days to help urine drain.

Your doctor might do an X-ray or ultrasound a few weeks later to see whether any parts of the stone are left. They might also send the stone fragments to a lab to find out what they’re made of.

Risks from this surgery include:

• Damage to the bladder, bowel, ureter, kidney, or liver

What Will I Experience During And After The Procedure

The doctor or nurse will attach devices to your body to monitor your heart rate and blood pressure.

You will feel a slight pinch when the nurse inserts the needle into your vein for the IV line and when they inject the local anesthetic. Most of the sensation is at the skin incision site. The doctor will numb this area using local anesthetic. You may feel pressure when the doctor inserts the catheter into the vein or artery. However, you will not feel serious discomfort.

If the procedure uses sedation, you will feel relaxed, sleepy, and comfortable. You may or may not remain awake, depending on how deeply you are sedated.

You may feel slight pressure as the catheter is inserted into the kidney and down the ureter. During placement of a ureteral stent, until the stent is positioned, you may feel pressure as the guide wire is inserted into the bladder resulting in a sensation to urinate. You may experience blood-tinged urine for several days following the procedure, which will usually clear up on its own.

You will remain in the recovery room until you are completely awake and ready to return home.

You will not feel when the contrast is excreted into the urine.

You should be able to resume your normal activities within a few days.

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When To See Your Doctor

Your doctor will probably schedule a follow-up appointment a week or two after removing a kidney stone. At this appointment, the doctor will make sure youre recovering as planned, and if you have a stent, it will probably be removed at this time. Always keep your follow-up appointments.

After kidney stone removal, complications may occur. Common complications include blood clots near the kidneys, nerve palsies, pancreatitis and obstruction caused by leftover kidney stone fragments. You should see a doctor if you suspect any of these complications. You should also see a doctor immediately if youre having trouble urinating, you have an increasing amount of blood in your urine, your pain is unmanageable, you have chest pain, you have a fever or youre vomiting.

References

Stent Removal After Kidney Stone Laser

Similar to ureteral stones, kidney stones can be fragmented and removed with baskets. Occasionally, a kidney stone will fragment with a laser into very small. Jun 26, 2011 · In most patients, stent removal is a relief as their stent discomfort goes away. However, in some patients, severe pain may occur for several hours.

The stent is usually removed after a few days to a few weeks depending on the particular circumstances. Ureteric stents cannot stay in the body indefinitely (.

Following URS, clinicians may omit ureteral stenting in patients meeting all of the.

Index Patient 12: Adult, renal stone with pain and no obstruction.

The ureteral stent is typically removed in the office, usually within 1-2 weeks after the procedure but may be left for longer after complex procedures. If you have any questions, to schedule a consultation or if you need a second opinion, please contact us or call: 646-663-4421. Dr. Alex Shteynshlyuger is a board certified urologist in NYC who.

If you have had a stent inserted after kidney stone surgery, it is temporary and only needed for a short period of time. There are two main methods for removal. For most patients, the stent will only stay in place for 5-7 days. Is a stent necessary after kidney stone removal? The routine placement of a ureteral catheter or stent following.

The stent removal does not hurt at all, I removed mine myself. The after effect of bladder spasms and kidney pain had me going back to the emergency room.

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Benefits Of Ureteral Stent Placement

Insertion of a Ureteral stent gives the following important benefits-

• Kidney stent helps in draining the urine from kidney of a patient
• Kidney stent helps in healing of the urinary tract
• Kidney stent is beneficial in reducing swelling in both kidney and urethra areas
• Kidney stent reduces the risk related to a few severe complications, which include ureter blockage because of blood clot, stone fragment or stone and swelling problem.

How Long Do The Stents Stay In My Body

It depends on the original cause of the disease process. Indwelling times may range from a few days for relief of ureteral oedema , to the duration of the patients life for maintenance of ureteral patency in obstruction from neighbouring cancer. Regardless of the stent composition, manufacturers usually recommend exchange of stents at 3 to 6 month intervals, and studies have shown that the prevalence of complications increases with longer indwelling times Your consultant will be able to advise you on this.

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Are There Any Restrictions

Your doctor will let you know if you have any restrictions following urinary stent placement.

Typically, you can perform most activities, work, and even sexual activity with a stent in place, providing it doesnt cause you great discomfort to do so.

There is one exception: when you have a stent with an extraction string. This is a special stent designed so you can remove the stent yourself after its been in place for a certain amount of time.

Stents with strings have a slightly higher rate of dislodgment. Avoid sexual activity while you have one in place to prevent dislodging the stent.

According to a 2015 study , people with stent strings also reported a bit more sleep disturbances than people who had stents without strings.

When you sleep, make sure the string is in a place where you can locate it easily. Sometimes, your doctor will tape the strings down to your leg or groin until you remove it.

Stent-related irritation can cause a lot of different symptoms including discomfort. Examples include:

• visible blood in urine
• incontinence, or loss of control over urine
• pain when urinating

Ideally, these symptoms will subside within a few days after the stent placement when youre more used to the stents presence.

A urinary stents presence can increase the risks of a urinary tract infection . Call your doctor if you experience some of the following symptoms, as they can indicate you may have an infection: