Ureteral stent and temporary disability

Abstract

Introduction. Drainage of the upper urinary tract using a temporary internal ureteral stent is frequently associated with significant stent-related symptomatology in many patients and constitutes a major contributor to functional impairment during the stent indwelling period.

Objective. To evaluate temporary disability in patients with ureteral stent. To compare clinical symptoms, the nature of work, the patient’s subjective assessment of his ability to work, medical and social confirmation of the temporary disability.

Materials & methods. The study included 134 officially employed patients whose duration of upper urinary tract stenting did not exceed two months. Patients were asked to respond to five questions regarding their assessment of well-being and work capacity during the stent indwelling period. Responses to the questions were obtained from all respondents.

Results. Stent-associated symptomatology was observed in 76.1% of patients. Throughout the entire duration of upper urinary tract drainage, 61.9% of patients remained functionally incapacitated. Notably, 25.3% of those classified as incapacitated were asymptomatic with respect to the presence of the stent. Conversely, 64.9% of all patients reported preserved work capacity. The proportion of patients formally exempted from physically demanding occupational activities exceeded that of those excused from mentally demanding work (59.3% vs 45.3%, respectively).

Conclusions. Drainage with an internal stent in most cases justifies assigning the patient a temporary disability status. When determining temporary incapacity for work, the physician should base their decision on the following parameters: presence of local symptomatology, nature of the patient's occupational activity, and the patient's subjective assessment of their condition.