Urinary retention in hospitalized elderly women

Unrecognized urinary retention may be a factor in the development of recurrent urinary tract infections, urinary incontinence, bladder dysfunction, and upper urinary tract disease. Because urinary retention is often asymptomatic in elderly women, with amounts of up to 1,500 mL retained in the bladder often causing little or no discomfort, nurses need to have a high index of suspicion about its occurrence. A post-void residual is the best way of determining the presence of urinary retention. The goal of treatment for urinary retention is bladder decompression via catheterization followed by voiding trials and determination of residual volumes.