Iatrogenic injury of the urinary tract during salvage procedures for pelvic sepsis: Experience of a national referral centre

AIM: This study aimed to determine the incidence, consequences and outcomes of iatrogenic urinary tract injury (IUI) during salvage surgery for pelvic sepsis. METHOD: Patients who underwent salvage surgery for pelvic sepsis after prior low anterior resection or Hartmann's procedure for rectal cancer were prospectively maintained in a database between 2010 and 2020 and reviewed retrospectively. The primary endpoint was the incidence of IUI. Secondary endpoints were timing of diagnosis (intra‐ vs. postoperative), reinterventions related to the IUI and healing of IUI. RESULTS: In total 126 consecutive patients were included, and IUI occurred in 13 patients (10%). A ureteric injury occurred in eight patients, bladder injury in four patients and a urethral injury in one patient. All patients with an IUI had radiotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment. The IUI was diagnosed postoperatively in 63% (n = 8/13) with a median duration between surgery and diagnosis of the IUI of 10 days (IQR: 6–15). The median number of reinterventions was five (range 1–31) in the group with a postoperative diagnosis and one (range 0–1) in the group with an intraoperative diagnosis. Four patients required a surgical reintervention, all concerning injuries diagnosed postoperatively. At the end of follow‐up, 85% of patients (n = 11/13) had a healed IUI. CONCLUSION: Iatrogenic urinary tract injury is not uncommon in salvage procedures for pelvic sepsis, even in an experienced tertiary referral centre. Most injuries were diagnosed postoperatively which affects the severity of these complications, emphasising the need to improve intraoperative diagnostic modalities.