Kidney Stones in Pregnancy: Delivery Outcomes

National inpatient data show higher complication rates and longer hospital stays among pregnant patients with kidney stones.

By
Kathryn Wighton
March 11, 2026
4 min

MDSpire News

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of renal calculi on specific labor and delivery complications among pregnant patients using national inpatient data.

Approach:

Key Findings:

85% of patients with renal calculi experienced labor and delivery complications compared to 29% without.
Average hospital stay for patients with renal calculi was 5.1 days versus 2.6 days for those without.
Demographic factors such as insurance status, race, and socioeconomic status influenced complication rates.

Interpretation:

Renal calculi significantly increase the risk of labor and delivery complications and prolong hospital stays during pregnancy.

Limitations:

ICD-10 codes did not differentiate between types of renal calculi, potentially masking risk differences, which could affect the interpretation of the results.
The database could not determine if complications were directly due to renal calculi or other conditions, limiting causal inferences.
Lack of data on readmissions and ED visits limited evaluation of long-term outcomes, which may underestimate the burden of complications.

Conclusion:

Renal calculi are strongly associated with adverse maternal outcomes during pregnancy, highlighting the need for careful management and monitoring of affected patients.