Urinary Retention Flashcards
What is urinary retention?
The inability to urinate.
What are the possible causes of urine retention?
Urtheral stricture
Prostate enlargement
CNS dysfunction
Foreign body obstruction
Are women or men more affected by urinary retention?
Men, most commonly due to a large prostate.
What are acute urinary retention symptoms?
The inability to urinate
Pain-severe- in the lower abdomen
The urgent need to urinate
Swelling of lower abdomen
What is chronic urinary retention and its symptoms?
Develops over time and may cause few to no symptoms, if symptomatic:
-Inability to completely empty bladder when urinating
-A slow steady stream
-The urgent need to urinate but with little success
-Leaking urine
-Lower abdominal pain or discomfort
What is the treatment for urinary retention?
In the ED, a uretheral catheter is required.
Pre-hospital care is just supportive (analgesia).
What is a catheter?
used to collect urine for the short or
long term. It is usually attached to a
drainage bag with a valve that can be
opened to allow urine to flow out. The
Foley catheter has a small balloon that
can be inflated with sterile water after it
has been inserted into the bladder to
secure in place. The catheter is regularly
exchanged for a new one to prevent
infections.
What is a suprapubic catheter and what is it used for?
When a cut is made in the lower abdomen and the catheter is inserted directly into bladder.
-Avoids damage to urethera.
-Less likely to be pulled and sat on
-Easy to undrain if blocked
-Easier to keep clean
-Easily reversed
What is Intermittent self catheterisation?
A technique used to empty the bladder at
regular intervals, varying from several
times a day to once a week, depending on
fluid intake, how quickly remaining
(residual) urine increases in the bladder, and whether any urine is passed
urethrally. Incomplete bladder emptying
can lead to incontinence, urgency,
frequency and recurrent infections.
This technique is often used in patients with spinal injuries, MS, spina bifida etc.
