Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jul;35(7):1337-1346.
doi: 10.1007/s00192-024-05827-y. Epub 2024 Jun 10.

The Effectiveness and Safety of Intrapartum or Postpartum Catheterization in the Prevention of Postpartum Urinary Retention: A Scoping Review

Hua-Ting Chen  1 , Xue-Ling Zhang  2 , Jia-Yi Peng  1 , Li-Ping Chen  3 , Tai-Zhen Luo  4
Affiliations

The Effectiveness and Safety of Intrapartum or Postpartum Catheterization in the Prevention of Postpartum Urinary Retention: A Scoping Review

Hua-Ting Chen et al. Int Urogynecol J. 2024 Jul.

Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis: Catheterization is a common treatment for postpartum urinary retention (PUR); however, its application before diagnosis of PUR remains unclear. The aim was to give an overview of the existing literature on the effectiveness and safety of intrapartum or postpartum catheterization in the prevention of PUR.

Methods: This scoping review followed a methodological framework. PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, the China Science and Technology Journal Database, and the China Biomedical Literature Database were searched from the inception of each database to 21 May 2023.

Results: The search revealed 16 studies examining three different catheterization methodologies, including 12 intrapartum studies. Ten studies concluded that intrapartum or postpartum catheterization prevented PUR, two of which were only for overt or covert PUR. In 4 out of 13 experimental studies, no significant difference was found: one for intrapartum catheterization versus routine nursing, the other for intrapartum or postpartum intermittent versus indwelling catheterization. However, one found that postpartum disposable catheterization after ineffective targeted care reduced the incidence of PUR compared with indwelling catheterization. One out of the 3 case-control studies concluded that prenatal catheterization ≥2 times was a risk factor for PUR.

Conclusions: Based on the findings in this scoping review, catheterization prior to the diagnosis of PUR appears to play a role in preventing PUR and is safe. Preliminary evidence is accumulating on the effectiveness of three types of catheterization methods in preventing PUR, but more comprehensive studies are needed to establish these findings.

Keywords: Catheterization; Effectiveness; Postpartum urinary retention; Prevention; Safety; Scoping review.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Hosakoppal S, Brown O, Peaceman A. Postpartum urinary retention after the institution of a universal voiding protocol. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2022;35(25):10199–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2022.2122800 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Choe WS, Kwang NB, Atan IK, Lim PS. Acceptable postvoid residual urine volume after vaginal delivery and its association with various obstetric parameters. Obstet Gynecol Int. 2018;2018:5971795. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5971795 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Neron M, Allègre L, Huberlant S, et al. Impact of systematic urinary catheterization protocol in delivery room on covert postpartum urinary retention: a before-after study. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):17720. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-18065-8 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Yip SK, Brieger G, Hin LY, Chung T. Urinary retention in the post-partum period. The relationship between obstetric factors and the post-partum post-void residual bladder volume. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1997;76(7):667–72. https://doi.org/10.3109/00016349709024608 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Min H, Liang S, Gu C-Y, Yang Y, Zhang Z. A cross-sectional study on the implementation of labor pain management service in midwifery institutions of the Pan-Yangtze River Delta. Fudan Univ J Med Sci 2023;50(03):425–32. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1672-8467.2023.03.015 - DOI

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources