Analysis of percutaneous nephrostomy exchange intervals: insights from a retrospective Merative MarketScan analysis between 2009-2021

Current practices in nephrostomy exchange are guided by institutional or societal expert-consensus rather than evidence-based recommendations. To examine the temporal distribution of exchanges and assess whether the observed distributions align with institutional, or expert-recommended guidelines where routine exchanges would be expected to occur within 60–89 days. Non-routine exchanges would be expected to occur either after 60 days or after 89 days. Data were collected from the Merative™ MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Databases and included all patients who underwent a PCN exchange from 2009 to 2021. The dataset was queried using ICD-9/10 and CPT coding systems. Outpatient exchanges were classified as routine exchanges, whereas inpatient exchanges were classified as non-routine exchanges. Chi-Square Goodness-of-Fit tests were used to compare observed frequencies against expected distributions of routine exchanges within the 59–89 day window, and non-routine exchanges to occur after either 60 or after 89 days. There was a total of 19,689 exchanges: of those, 41