Early catheter removal after pelvic floor reconstructive surgery: a randomized trial

Studies have yet to examine the impact of day-of-surgery voiding trials on post-operative urinary retention in women undergoing obliterative and apical suspension procedures for pelvic organ prolapse. Our objective was to evaluate if time to spontaneous void after these procedures is shorter when a voiding trial is performed on the day of surgery compared with our standard practice of post-operative day 1.

We conducted a randomized, parallel-arm trial in patients undergoing major pelvic floor reconstructive surgery. Women were randomized 1:1 to an early (4 h post-operatively on the day of surgery) or a standard (6 am on post-operative day 1) retrograde voiding trial.

A total of 57 women consented. Mean age and BMI were 65 ± 11 and 27.9 ± 4.4. Most women had stage III pelvic organ prolapse (77.2%). Groups had similar baseline characteristics. In the intention-to-treat analysis (n = 57), there was no difference in time to spontaneous void in the early versus standard voiding trial groups (15.9 ± 3.8 vs 28.4 ± 3.1 hours, p = 0.081). In the adjusted analysis using mutlivariable linear regression, an early voiding trial decreased the time to spontaneous void (abeta -2.00 h, p = 0.031) when controlling for vaginal packing and stage IV prolapse. In the per-protocol analysis, which excluded 4 patients for crossover, spontaneous void occurred 17 hours faster in the early voiding trial group (14.6 ± 3.7 vs 31.8 ± 2.9 hours; p = 0.022). Early voiding trial patients experienced ambulation sooner and more often than the standard group (p = 0.02).

A day-of-surgery voiding trial did not prolong catheter use after obliterative and apical suspension procedures.