3-2-1: The Hidden Drivers of Male LUTS

I. Symptoms overlap and mislead
Men rarely present with a clean category. Storage, voiding, and post-void symptoms mix together, and what bothers them most is not always the true dysfunction. This is why symptoms alone cannot guide your plan.

II. Fluid balance rules the whole picture
The first step in every case is confirming 24-hour urine output and nocturnal polyuria index. Until you know whether a man is under- or over-eliminating fluid, you cannot classify storage or voiding impairment accurately.

III. Bladder capacity drives bladder strength
Most men void best when the bladder reaches roughly 150 to 350 ml. Below that range, the bladder cannot generate a strong contraction. When flow is weak, insufficient storage is often the real cause.

____________________________________________

I. “We fail because we do not know, and we fail because we do not do.” - Atul Gawande
Frameworks protect you from both. Knowing the mechanism is only half of it. Applying the steps in order is the rest.

II. “What you see is all there is.” -Daniel Kahneman
Patients describe what they feel. Our job is to look beyond the sensations and uncover the system underneath.

____________________________________________

When a man reports weak flow, will you confirm storage volume before assuming a voiding problem?

With care,

Team IPC