The CVAC System Procedure: What to Expect
With the CVAC System procedure, you’ll likely be home, with stones removed, the same day.1-3 Here is what to expect, from prep to recovery.
Finding Your CVAC System Procedure Physician
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BEFORE PROCEDURE DAY
Consultation, Exams, and Insurance Verification
While every practice is different, there are a few common steps that typically need to happen before your procedure can take place:
- Your physician will likely review your medical history, perform a physical exam, and order imaging to evaluate your kidney stone(s).
- Your insurance coverage, including the need for you to provide copays or coinsurance, will be verified ahead of time.
- Medical staff will provide instructions about fasting and whether to continue or stop any medications you’re taking.
PROCEDURE DAY
Your CVAC System Procedure Experience
Arrival and Procedure Prep
First, you’ll check in at the surgical center or hospital, change into a gown, and meet with the nursing staff and anesthesiologist. Next, a medical staff member will start an IV line.
Anesthesia
Most patients receive general anesthesia, meaning you’ll be completely asleep throughout the procedure. Your anesthesiologist will talk with you to determine the best option.
The Procedure
While you’re asleep, your physician will use a laser to break your kidney stones into dust and fragments, which will be continuously vacuumed out using the CVAC System. A temporary stent will likely be placed after the procedure to help with drainage.
Anesthesia Recovery
After the procedure, your medical team will take you to a recovery room and monitor you as the anesthesia wears off.
AFTER PROCEDURE DAY
At-Home Recovery, Follow-Up Visits, and Future Kidney Stone Prevention
24-48 hrs
Most Patients Go Home, With Stones Removed, the Same Day.
Common side effects of the procedure include mild discomfort, blood in your urine, frequent urination, and urinary urgency. You may also receive a prescription for pain medication.
2-6 weeks
You’ll Have Important Follow-Ups Over the Next Few Weeks.
If a stent was placed, it will typically be removed one-to-two weeks after the procedure by a string or during a brief office visit. Imaging may be ordered to confirm stone removal.
long-term
Then, You Can Focus on Keeping More Stones from Forming.
Small pieces of your stone may be tested to understand why it formed and help prevent future stones. Your physician may also order a 24-hour urine test and periodic imaging to watch for new stones.
Find a CVAC System-Trained Physician Near You
- Klyde et. al. PD01-06: Real-World Experience with CVAC 2.0 for Steerable Ureteroscopic Renal Evacuation in a Large, Multi-Site Academic Institution, Conference Presentation, AUA 2025.
- Cook et. al. IP08-19: A Retrospective Analysis of the 2nd Generation CVAC Ureteroscope’s Stone Clearance: Our Initial Experience, Conference Presentation, AUA 2025.
- Griffiths et. al. IP11-10: Early Experience of Steerable Ureteroscopic Evacuation (S.U.R.E) with CVAC System Next Gen 2.0 — with Quantitative Computer Tomography, Conference Presentation, AUA 2025.
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Individual results may vary. Speak with your doctor to determine what treatment may be right for you. There are risks of complications with the CVAC System procedure including, but not limited to: perforation, bleeding, damage to ureter or kidney, pain, inflammation, infection, and/or fever. In some cases, complications may require intervention and may lead to a serious outcome. View full safety information here.
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