The impact of anesthesia and mode of delivery on the urinary bladder in the postdelivery period

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of regional anesthesia and mode of delivery on the function of the urinary bladder. The primary outcome was the time taken for urinary bladder sensation to return following various modes of delivery and analgesia/anesthesia. The secondary outcome was the volume of urine present in the bladder when sensation returned.MethodsThe study was conducted at the Birmingham Women's Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK. A total of 120 postnatal patients were studied between January 2007 and March 2008. The volume of urine in the bladder when sensation first returned was measured by release of a clamp for women fitted with an indwelling catheter, and/or estimated using ultrasound.ResultsThe median times for sensation to return to the bladder in patients who had a vaginal delivery without epidural analgesia, vaginal delivery with epidural analgesia, and after elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia were 122 minutes (IQR, 112–136 minutes), 234 minutes (IQR, 202–291 minutes), and 374 minutes (IQR, 311–425 minutes), respectively. The median urine volumes were 144 mL (IQR, 112–192 mL), 200 mL (IQR, 136–336 mL), and 152.5 mL (IQR, 125–270 mL), respectively.ConclusionThese results should be taken into consideration when formulating a postdelivery bladder care protocol.