Short-Term Foley Catheters fail to Reduce chances of Urinary Retention after Primary THA and TKA

Written By : Aditi |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-05-05T03:45:39+05:30 | Updated On 5 May 2023 2:12 PM IST

Researchers from Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, in their research article entitled "Short-Term Indwelling Foley Catheters Do Not Reduce the Risk of Postoperative Urinary Retention in Uncomplicated Primary THA and TKA” published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery demonstrated whether a short-term Foley catheter (inserted in the operating room and removed upon arrival to the orthopaedic floor) would reduce the risk of postoperative urinary retention (POUR) in patients undergoing total hip (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). According to the study, utilizing a short-term Foley catheter during surgery and removal upon transfer to the orthopaedic floor does not lower the POUR rate.

228 TKA patients and 160 TKA patients were randomized to receive a short-term Foley catheter (143 male and 245 female). POUR was the primary outcome measured. UTI or urinary tract infections (within three weeks) and requirement of ≥1 straight catheterization. were secondary outcomes

The study results could be summarised as follows:

Nine patients developed POUR, four in the short-term Foley group and 5 in the control group, 2.1% versus 2.6%.
Males were more prone to develop POUR compared to females (88.9% versus 11.1%)
10 in the Foley group and 14 in the control group, 5.2% versus 7.2%, required ≥1 straight catheterization
3 in the Foley group and 1 in the control group, 1.5% versus 0.5% developed UTIs on intention-to-treat analysis
Four in the Foley group and none in the control group developed UTIs (2.1% versus 0.0%) on as-treated analysis.

Concluding further, they wrote that using a short-term Foley catheter inserted in the operating room and removed on arrival to the orthopaedic floor does not decrease the rate of POUR.

BDS, MDS in Periodontics and Implantology

Dr. Aditi Yadav is a BDS, MDS in Periodontics and Implantology. She has a clinical experience of 5 years as a laser dental surgeon. She also has a Diploma in clinical research and pharmacovigilance and is a Certified data scientist. She is currently working as a content developer in e-health services. Dr. Yadav has a keen interest in Medical Journalism and is actively involved in Medical Research writing.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751