Objective: To evaluate major bleeding risk factors in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for upper urinary tract calculi and validate a prediction model.
Study design: Analytical study. Place and Duration of the Study: The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, China, from January 2019 to August 2023.
Methodology: Major bleeding was defined as a decrease in haemoglobin of ≥20 g/L compared to preoperative levels. A retrospective analysis of 468 PCNL patients identified risk factors for major bleeding using univariate, LASSO, and logistic regression analyses. Nomogram models were developed using R software, with ROC and calibration plots assessing the model's accuracy. The bootstrap method provided internal validation, and DCA evaluated clinical utility.
Results: Independent risk factors included diabetes (OR = 4.17), staghorn calculi (OR = 3.41), operative duration (OR = 1.01), and staged surgery (OR = 2.75). The model showed high discriminative ability (C-statistic: 0.783) and alignment with observed outcomes. Internal validation confirmed robustness (C-statistic: 0.728).
Conclusion: The predictive model for major bleeding during and after PCNL, focusing on diabetes, staghorn calculi, operative duration, and staged surgery, is highly accurate, aiding in the PCNL risk assessment.
Key words: Upper urinary tract calculi, Percutaneous nephrolithotomy, Major bleeding, Risk factors, Prediction model.