Intravesical bupivacaine in reducing catheter-related bladder discomfort and lower urinary tract symptoms after transurethral surgery: A randomized controlled trial

The objectives of this study were to investigate the efficacy and safety of intravesical bupivacaine instillation in reducing catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) after transurethral surgery. The study enrolled 100 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade I–III patients aged ≥18 years undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate or transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, randomly assigned to Group B (intravesical bupivacaine) or Group S (saline). Double blinding was employed. Independent variables included demographics, surgery type, ASA grade, and intervention details. Dependent variables comprised CRBD severity, Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC), Pelvic Pain Urgency Frequency (PUF), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, need for additional analgesics, and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). SPSS version 19 was used for analysis with a significance level of P < 0.05. Side effects such as hematuria were also recorded. Group B reported significantly lower “moderate” CRBD immediately (2% vs. 40%, P < 0.001) and at 12 h (0% vs. 18%, P = 0.003) post-instillation compared to Group S and also required fewer additional analgesics (4% vs. 46%). The PPBC at catheter removal also favored Group B (P = 0.003) and day 1 (P < 0.001). The PUF scores were also significantly lower in Group B at catheter removal (P = 0.001) and at day 1 (P = 0.028). The IPSS was also significantly lower in the Group B on day 1 (P = 0.003) and 7 (P = 0.001). The VAS scores also favored the Group B consistently and although the side effects were higher in Group B but this was not statistically significant. Intravesical bupivacaine administration has the potential to alleviate CRBD and postoperative LUTS following lower urinary tract transurethral electrosurgery. The study’s findings underscore the importance of personalized pain management strategies in optimizing the patient comfort during the postoperative recovery.