Early and Standard Urinary Catheter Removal After Gynecological Surgery for Benign Lesions: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Patients undergoing gynecological surgery commonly receive indwelling transurethral Foley catheters, however duration of catheterization is associated with risk of urinary tract infections and other adverse effects. Early removal of catheters is encouraged, however optimal timing postsurgery remains unclear. This quasi-experimental study compared outcomes for women after removal of a Foley catheter at two different times following benign gynecological surgery. Participants received either early catheter removal, within 6 hours of surgery ( n = 38) or standard catheter removal, within 12 to 24 hours of surgery ( n = 45). There were no significant differences in outcomes for discomfort scores or re-catheterization rates between groups. However, the early removal group had a significantly shorter time to first ambulation and shorter hospital stays. Early removal of Foley catheters in patients who underwent gynecological surgery did not increase adverse events. Early removal of catheters after gynecological surgery may decrease re-catheterization rates and increase patient satisfaction.

Feasibility of immediate removal of urinary catheter after laparoscopic gynecological surgery for benign diseases: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…Three studies were further excluded. Finally, six RCTs [23][24][25][26][27][28] with a total of 703 patients (347 in the immediate group and 356 in the delayed group) were included in this metaanalysis (Figure 1).…”

“…In general, the methodological quality was low to moderate. Three studies 24,25,27 had insufficient information (unclear risk of bias) for random sequence generation. Four studies [23][24][25][26] had unclear risk of bias for allocation concealment.…”

“…Three studies 24,25,27 had insufficient information (unclear risk of bias) for random sequence generation. Four studies [23][24][25][26] had unclear risk of bias for allocation concealment. Due to the nature of the intervention, adequate blinding of participants and personnel was impossible, and all studies were assessed as having a high risk of bias.…”

Letter to the Editor: Appropriate timing for the removal of urinary catheter after laparoscopic surgery for benign gynecologic diseases may still be uncertain

“…We would like to share the data from our institute in support of their finding, but also to highlight the uncertainty of the optimal time to remove urinary catheter after surgery according to the occurrence of POUR between the early and delayed removal of urinary catheter groups. We performed a new subgroup analysis from the original data (the study protocol was reviewed and approved by the institutional ethics committee of the study's medical center [IRB 2015–10‐002B]), which has been published before 2 . Only laparoscopic surgery was included in this analysis.…”

“…We performed a new subgroup analysis from the original data (the study protocol was reviewed and approved by the institutional ethics committee of the study's medical center [IRB 2015-10-002B]), which has been published before. 2 Only laparoscopic surgery was included in this analysis.…”