Abstract
This case-control study evaluated the perioperative effects of omitting urinary catheterization (UC) during elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). We phased out UC in 224 patients with mild or moderate acute cholecystitis who were undergoing LC in our institution between April 2011 and May 2013 for whom the procedure was expected to last <1.5h. We then compared the time of anesthesia induction, time in the operating room, and urinary complications between the UC group (n=33) and the non-UC group (n=113) after matching the patients’ backgrounds. For patients in the non-UC group, we performed temporary catheterization even if there was no spontaneous urination, and >100mL of intravesical urine was measured by a portable ultrasonography device until 21:00 on the operative day. The non-UC group had a significantly mean shorter time of anesthesia induction than the UC group. Ten patients (30.5%) in the UC group had urinary complications, and 24 patients (21.2%) in the non-UC group needed temporary catheterization but urinated spontaneously the following morning. Over the study period, progressively fewer patients in the non-UC group needed temporary catheterization. Our results demonstrate that UC can be safely omitted during elective LC.
