I looked up "lithotripsy" and found a number of sites that explain how this
is done. It is not really surgery - sound waves are used to pulverize the
kidney stones (renal calculi) into very small particles that are passed via the
urinary tract. Patients are directed to strain their urine for 24-48 hours after
the surgery. The following is a quote from one site I found. "Lithotripsy uses
shock waves to pulverize urinary calculi (kidney stones) non-invasively. In
contrast, other methods of stone removal require open surgery (surgical
nephrotomy); extraction of the stone through a puncture in the side of the patient
(percutaneous extraction); or the insertion of a ureteroscope via the urethra
with subsequent stone fragmentation and removal by mechanical means. All
invasive procedures carry a higher risk of infection complications than non-invasive
procedures such as lithotripsy."  Notice the reference to infection risk ---
seems that it would be lower than that of usual surgical procedures and no
mention of "bacteria in the bloodstream." The only thing I would be concerned
about in this case is what medications are being used for pain or during the
procedure. Most of them are safe for breastfeeding.
Mary Kay Smith, RN, IBCLC
Romeoville IL




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