[The cost of complicated acute urinary retention: a patient chart analysis in Belgium]

Acute Urinary Retention (AUR) is a troublesome event in patients with benign prostate hyperplasia and often results in adenectomy, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study is to document the current medical practice and resource utilization in AUR, with Belgium as a case setting.

In this study, a retrospective patient chart review, the 6-month medical resource use of 63 patients hospitalised in 5 different centres with a first episode of AUR and failing a first attempt to remove the catheter (defined as complicated AUR) was recorded and costs were calculated from the public health care payer's perspective. Only direct medical costs (2002 values) were taken into account.

The 6 month cost of complicated AUR was Euro 6,766 (St. Err: Euro 491), whereas the cost of hospitalisation for the acute event was Euro 4,722 (St. Err: Euro 526). The cost of a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) performed during the index hospitalisation is much higher than the cost of a TURP performed during a subsequent--scheduled--hospitalisation (Euro 6,101 vs. Euro 4,237).

The cost of complicated AUR is quite important. Preventing AUR or improving the medical management of AUR may reduce the number of adenectomies that have to be performed, and thus, may reduce mortality, morbidity and health care costs.