Surgery>>>>>Inguinal Hernias
Question 11#

The most common cause of urinary retention after hernia repair is:

A. General anesthesia
B. Narcotic analgesia
C. Pain
D. Peri operative bladder distention

Correct Answer is A

Comment:

The most common cause of urinary retention after hernia repair is general anesthesia, which is routine in laparoscopic hernia repairs. Among 880 patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair with local anesthesia only 0.2% developed urinary retention, whereas the rate of urinary retention was 13% among 200 patients undergoing repair with general or spinal anesthesia. Other risk factors for postoperative urinary retention include pain, narcotic analgesia, and perioperative bladder distention. Initial treatment of urinary retention requires decompression of the bladder with short-term catheterization. Patients will generally require an overnight admission and trial of normal voiding before discharge. Failure to void normally requires reinsertion of the catheter for up to a week. Chronic requirement of a urinary catheter is rare, although older patients may require prolonged catheterization.