Self-Reported Urological Hospitalizations or Emergency Room Visits in a Contemporary Spinal Cord Injury Cohort

Purpose: Individuals with spinal cord injuries frequently use urgent and emergent medical care. We hypothesized that urological causes are a primary driver of hospitalizations/emergency room visits in a contemporary spinal cord injury cohort. Materials and Methods: The Neurogenic Bladder Research Group spinal cord injury registry is a prospective cohort study evaluating neurogenic bladder related quality of life after traumatic spinal cord injury. Questionnaires were administered to participants querying whether a hospitalization or emergency room visit occurred during the interval 1-year followup and reason for visit. Primary outcome was the rate of urological related hospitalizations/emergency room visits in 1 year. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for urology related hospitalization/emergency room visit. Results: Of the 1,479 participants enrolled 1,260 had 1-year followup. In all, 16.7% (211/1,260) reported at least 1 urological hospitalization/emergency room visit, and urinary tract infections were the most common reason cited. Patients with an indwelling catheter had the greatest odds of having a hospitalization/ emergency room episode for a urological indication (OR 3.35, CI 1.68-6.67, p = 0.001), followed by clean intermittent catheterization (OR 2.56, CI 1.36-4.84, p = 0.004) as compared to those who voided spontaneously. Other predictors included SF-12 physical scores (OR 0.98, CI 0.96-0.996, p = 0.014), diminished hand function (OR 1.83, CI 1.05-3.19, p = 0.033), and unemployment (OR 1.64, CI 1.13-2.37, p = 0.009). Conclusions: There was a high incidence of hospitalizations/emergency room visits for patients with spinal cord injuries during a 1-year followup and urological complications were the most common reason for admission. Patient self-reported physical health as well as unemployment, and bladder management strategy, particularly indwelling catheter use, were associated with increased risk of urology related hospitalization/emergency room visits.