A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING CONTINUOUS BLADDER DRAINAGEWITH CATHETERIZATION AT ABDOMINAL HYSTERECTOMY

Objective To compare the infection rate and postoperative morbidity be tween in-dwelling urinary catheterization and 'in-out' catheterization at the time of routine total abdominal hysterectomy. Patients and met hods The study comprised 100 patients who were blindly randomized to h ave either an indwelling Foley catheter or an 'in-out' catheterization at the time of surgery. Follow-up data on the retention of urine, uri nary symptoms and infection were obtained. Results Of the 95 patients with complete data, 36% of those undergoing in-out catheterization had urinary retention after operation, requiring bladder emptying, compar ed with 4% of those receiving an indwelling catheter (P<0,001). In add ition, 29% of the catheterized group had urinary tract bacteriuria com pared with 13% of the uncatheterized group (P<0.025), Conclusion This randomized controlled trial showed that in-out urinary catheterization at the time of routine abdominal hysterectomy was associated with a s ignificantly higher incidence of post-operative urinary retention comp ared with in-dwelling catheterization, and may have implications for l ong-term bladder function.