Is Self-discontinuation of a Transurethral Catheter Following Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery as Effective as Office-based Discontinuation?; A Randomized Controlled Trial

Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is a common issue following urogynecologic surgery, with incidence rates of 1.4-43%. The wide range of incidence is due to the lack of a standardized definition of POUR. Generally speaking, POUR can be characterized by any impairment in bladder emptying following surgery. While the gold standard for assessing voiding function remains measurement of a postvoid residual (PVR), there are many voiding trial (VT) methods being used across institutions.

Historically, the most widely accepted postoperative VT for the assessment of voiding function was the backfill method. An alternative assessment of voiding function is the spontaneous VT, where the indwelling catheter is removed and a patient is asked to void spontaneously when a patient has the urge. It is controversial which of these methods are superior, and studies are conflicted. Nevertheless, both of these methods were studied in a clinical setting, and we lack information on self-discontinuation efficacy at home.

Managing an indwelling urinary catheter and returning to the outpatient clinic only a week after discharge from the hospital can be overwhelming for patients and their involved caregivers. Given the low incidence of POUR at one-week postoperative and patient dissatisfaction with urinary catheter management, home self-removal of indwelling urinary catheters is an important topic of investigation.

We are trying to compare the incidence of POUR between self-discontinuation and office-discontinuation of urinary catheters. The results of this study could impact on the decision regarding catheter use following inpatient pelvic organ prolapse surgery.