Postoperative urinary retention in colorectal surgery patients on an enhanced surgical recovery pathway

Introduction: Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is a complication of surgery defined as the inability to empty a full bladder. POUR can prolong hospital length of stay and increase rates of urinary tract infection in the postoperative period. Risk factors for the development of POUR include male sex, older age, select medications, and certain comorbid conditions. Surgical factors may also increase the risk of POUR. POUR occurs in up to 50% of patients undergoing colorectal surgery. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, single-center cohort study evaluated the incidence of POUR in patients admitted for colorectal surgery and were enrolled in a Colorectal Enhanced Surgical Recovery (CERAS) protocol. Our primary objective was to determine the incidence of POUR in patients treated under the CERAS protocol. Secondary objectives included evaluating the incidence of POUR in patients receiving intrathecal anesthesia. Results: Two hundred and twenty-eight patients were included. Sixty-six patients (28.9%) developed POUR during their hospitalization. Patients who developed POUR were more likely to be male (61.6% vs. 44.4%, P = 0.029) and tended to be older (mean ± standard deviation age, 61.4 ± 17.7 years vs. 56.8 ± 16.4 years; P = 0.069) compared to the non-POUR group. Regional anesthesia did not affect the incidence of POUR. Conclusions: We identified a rate of POUR in our CERAS patients consistent with previous studies. The risk of POUR increased with increasing age, male sex, and history of benign prostatic hyperplasia and diabetes mellitus. We found no difference in POUR incidence with the type of regional anesthesia utilized. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Practice-Based Learning and Improvement and Medical Knowledge.