Diabetes mellitus is associated with increased risk of positive qSOFA score but not with increased ICU admission in patients undergoing ureteral stent placement for ureteral stone and suspected infection

Introduction: Patients presenting with an obstructing ureteral stone and urinary tract infection (UTI) are at risk for severe infectious complications. Historically, diabetes mellitus (DM) was considered a risk factor for the development of septic shock in these patients. This study aims to evaluate DM’s impact on risk of septic shock in ureteral stent placement for ureteral stone and presumed UTI. Methods: An institutional review board-approved retrospective review was performed at two institutions. All patients who met the following criteria from July 2016 to April 2020 were included in the study: emergency department visit with obstructing ureteral stone, concern for UTI, and ureteral stent placement. The primary outcome of interest was the development of postoperative septic shock defined by sepsis with hypotension requiring vasopressor support for at least one hour. Results: The study cohort was made up of 187 patients. Median age was 61 (range 16–91). Males represented 40.1% (n=75) of the population, while DM was present in 26.2% (n=49). Thirty-five of 143 patients (18.7%) met the criteria for postoperative septic shock. qSOFA criteria were met by 11 (22.4%) patients with DM compared to 13 (9.5%) of patients without DM (p=0.026). This difference did not translate into significant differences in use of vasopressors, with DM cohorts requiring pressors in 11 (22.4%) and 241 (17.5%) in non-DM (p=0.523). Purulent urine was more frequently described in patients with DM (22 [44.9%] vs. 342 [4.8%], p=0.011). ICU admissions were similar between DM and non-DM, 13(27.1%) vs 29 (21.2%) respectively (p=0.543). ICU stay and length of stay were similar between cohorts. Conclusions: In this multicenter study of patients who underwent ureteral stenting for ureteral stone and presumed UTI, DM was not associated with an increased risk of development of septic shock but was associated with an increased risk of positive qSOFA score.