Using smart water bottles may increase urine volume in patients with nephrolithiasis
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Among patients with nephrolithiasis, using smart water bottles to remind them to hydrate and record water intake can increase urine volume, according to data published in the Journal of Renal Nutrition.
Further, investigators found the main challenge among patients who were trying to achieve sufficient fluid intake to avoid kidney stones was remembering to drink water.
“Many patients with recurrent urolithiasis have metabolic derangements stemming from low fluid intake,” Thomas E. Stout, MD, study co-author and a urologist resident in the department of urology at the University of Minnesota, told Healio. “While it has been shown that increased fluid intake decreases rates of stone recurrence, many people are unable to successfully increase their fluid intake. Memory aids, such as smart water bottles, aim to increase fluid intake. No study has examined how these tools impact urine output in patients with kidney stones.”
In a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled study, researchers assessed the impact of smart water bottles on urine in 85 adults with nephrolithiasis and low urine volume. Researchers randomized 44 patients to receive standard dietary recommendations (DR arm) with the goal urine output of 2.5 L a day, and they randomized 41 patients to receive standard dietary recommendations in addition to the use of a smart water bottle that recorded fluid intake, connected to the user’s smartphone and provided reminders to drink (SB arm).
Patients completed baseline surveys measuring challenges to hydration, then completed the surveys again at 6-week and 12-week follow-ups. Similarly, patients provided baseline urine samples, then again at a 24-hour follow-up.
Among the 85 original patients, 51 were eligible for 24-hour urine follow-ups. Researchers reported the main challenge that limited fluid intake was that patients forgot to drink.
Analyses revealed the SB arm experienced a greater increase in urine volume (1.37 L) than the DR arm (0.79). However, more patients in the DR arm reported remembering to drink than those in the SB arm.
“We were surprised that the use of a smart bottle not only increased urine volume, but also significantly improved 24-hour urine parameters in only a few weeks,” Stout told Healio. “This goes to show that proper use of smart water bottles may rapidly reduce patients’ risk of urolithiasis.”
According to the researchers, limitations of the study included a small group of patients and a low percentage of patients who completed follow-ups.
“This study showed that patients with recurrent urolithiasis and low urine volume have difficulty increasing their fluid intake because they don’t remember to drink fluids. By using a smart water bottle, patients were able to significantly increase their fluid intake and improve their 24-hour urine parameters,” Stout told Healio. “The use of smart water bottles or other memory aids can hopefully provide simple, cost-effective solutions to decrease rates of stone recurrence in this population.”
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