Risk of POUR in lumbar surgery based on several factors

NEW ORLEANS — Based on a study of 647 patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery, researchers found several factors that directly related to a patient’s possible development of post-operative urinary retention.

At the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting, Sapan D. Gandhi, BS, presented findings of a study he and his colleagues conducted to evaluate the prevalence of postoperative urinary retention (POUR) and to identify any patient and surgical factors associated with the development of this condition.

“We had about 5% of patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery develop POUR. These patients stayed in the hospital a little longer than patients who did not develop POUR,” Gandhi said. “Associated patient factors we found related to development of this condition is male gender, BPH [benign prostatic hyperplasia], age, diabetes and depression with anti-depression medication use. Smokers were less likely in our series to develop POUR.”

Sapan D. Gandhi

The researchers retrospectively assessed 647 consecutive lumbar surgeries performed by a single surgeon with a primary investigator at a single site. They calculated the rate of patients who developed POUR after their surgeries and compared the length of hospital stay between patients who developed POUR and patients who did not develop the complication.

The results showed that 36 patients of the 647 patients included developed POUR, for a rate of 5.6%. The patients with POUR stayed in the hospital for an average of 3.9 days vs. 2.3 days for patients without POUR, based on the results. – by Robert Linnehan

Reference:

Gandhi SD. Paper #95. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; March 11-15, 2014; New Orleans.

Disclosure: Gandhi has no relevant financial disclosures.