Management of Non-Traumatic Urological Emergencies at Souro Sanou University Teaching Hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso)

Background: Generally, urological emergencies are assumed not to be very common, however, recent reports showed that they constitute an important aspect of the day-to-day urological practice. If not well and promptly managed, they may lead to serious morbidity or mortality. Objectives: To study the pattern of presentation, diagnosis and outcome of management of non-traumatic urological emergencies seen at the Emergency Department of Souro Sanou University Hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective and descriptive study over four years. It included patients of all ages and both sexes, admitted for non-traumatic urological emergencies in the surgical emergency department of Souro Sanou University Hospital. It took place from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2020. Results: A total of 584 patients were reviewed in our study. Non-traumatic urological emergencies account for 6.3% of all surgical emergencies seen during the study period. The male-to-female ratio was 9.2 to 1. The mean age of the patients was 51.9 ± 23.9 years. Forty-five per cent of the patients presented within 48 hours of symptoms. The vast majority of the patients presented with difficulties with passing urine (41.6%), followed by cases of hematuria (18.4%). On admission, 154 patients (26.4%) presented with severe conditions such as anemia as seen in 40.9% of the cases and deterioration in the general health condition as seen in 34.4% of the patients. Leukocytosis was noted in 18.7% of the patients and anemia in 17.9%. Urine culture was positive in 15.4% of the patients and Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen found (40.6%). Ultrasound was the most requested examination (81.2%), followed by a computerized tomography (CT) scan (22%). The most frequent diagnoses were urine retention (42.9%), hematuria (16.9%) and renal colic (10.1%). Emergency interventions were carried out in 525 patients (89.9%) who include bladder catheterization (46.1%), bladder lavage and/or bladder irrigation (20.9%) and suprapubic cystocatheterization (10.1%). Most of the patients (61.3%) were discharged after a mean stay in the hospital of about 5.1 ± 7.5 days. A mortality rate of 3.8% was also recorded among the patients studied. Conclusion: Non-traumatic urological emergencies are common and are an important aspect of daily urological practice. The majority of the patient presents late with usually a severe form of the disease, which adversely affects the outcome even after treatment.