INTRODUCTION: This research investigates the influence of the medical personnel shortage on the treatment of urolithiasis by comparing the complication rates in patients with urinary stones who undergo ureterorenoscopy with laser lithotripsy before and after the emergence of this unprecedented situation. METHODS: A total of 160 patients undergoing ureterorenoscopy with laser lithotripsy for urolithiasis were retrospectively evaluated, segmented into pre- and post-pandemic cohorts. Complications that occurred preoperatively (during the waiting period for operation), intraoperatively, and postoperatively were documented to compare the complication rates between the two cohorts. RESULTS: The investigation demonstrated a significant elevation of complications during the preoperative waiting period in the post-pandemic cohort (p < 0.001), concurrent with a substantial increase in the median waiting time from 20 days to 94 days (p < 0.001). No significant differences were present in intra- and postoperative complications between the two cohorts. CONCLUSION: In the new era of personnel shortage, increased complication rates during the preoperative waiting time were observed, concomitant with a significant increase in the waiting times for surgery. This novel challenge of increased preoperative morbidity also led to additional resource consumption. It is imperative to adapt the therapeutic landscape of urolithiasis to the new circumstances.

Chairman of Comprehensive Cancer Center Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Chairman of the Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery Section of the Austrian Urological Association Vienna Austria

Department of Urology 2nd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czechia

Department of Urology Ankara State Hospital University of Health Sciences School of Medicine Ankara Turkey

Department of Urology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Urology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas Texas USA

Department of Urology Weill Cornell Medical College New York New York USA

Division of Urology Department of Special Surgery Jordan University Hospital The University of Jordan Amman Jordan

European Association of Urology Research Foundation Arnhem The Netherlands

Karl Landsteiner Institute of Urology and Andrology Vienna Austria

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Impact of Personnel Scarcity on Urolithiasis Treatment: A Comparative Study of the Pre- and Post-Pandemic Eras