Why is a urinary catheter inserted during general anesthesia? Is a urinary catheter necessary during general anesthesia?

Anyone who has visited a patient in a hospital knows that some patients need to have a urinary catheter inserted during the final recovery period after surgery, mainly for general anesthesia surgeries, such as caesarean sections. Having a urinary catheter inserted is naturally not very comfortable, so why do we need to insert a urinary catheter? Is it possible not to have a urinary catheter inserted?

Why is a urinary catheter inserted during general anesthesia?

1. Convenient surgery: When patients undergo surgery, they must be covered with sterile surgical towels after disinfection. If a urinary catheter is needed during surgery, the sterile principle will be violated, which can easily lead to wound infection. Secondly, there are always unexpected events during surgery. If the operation time is prolonged, the bladder will swell too much during the operation, which will not only affect kidney function, but also may induce bladder rupture.

2. Record urine volume: During the operation, the anesthesiologist should record the patient's intake and output of medicines to indirectly evaluate the patient's renal function during the operation. For some patients with massive bleeding and shock during surgery, the urine volume can also reflect the shock control situation.

3. Avoid damaging the bladder during surgery: During some intra-abdominal surgeries, such as appendectomy, gynecological surgery, laparoscopic hernia repair, intestinal cancer surgery, etc., because these organs are adjacent to the bladder, if the bladder is full, there is a certain possibility that it will be punctured during the operation, causing bladder leakage.

4. Convenient postoperative care: For some major surgeries, it can be predicted before the operation that the patient will have to rest in bed for many days after the operation. If a catheter can be inserted under anesthesia, it will certainly be more comfortable; there is no need to get out of bed to urinate after the operation, and care will be much more convenient.

Is it necessary to insert a urinary catheter during general anesthesia?

Not all general anesthesia surgeries require catheterization. We need to analyze the actual situation. Some minor surgeries that take less than 1 hour do not require catheterization! For example, debridement and suture, breast and thyroid surgery, circumcision, etc.

For some patients who have a very short operation time, even with general anesthesia, it is not necessary to put a urinary catheter. For example, a simple kidney cyst operation or other operations that can be completed within half an hour can completely avoid the need for a urinary catheter.

But in fact, most surgeries under general anesthesia require the placement of a urinary catheter, because most doctors cannot guarantee that the operation can be completed in half an hour. In addition, many people are unwilling to get out of bed to urinate immediately on the day of surgery due to pain. Therefore, in actual situations, almost all patients under general anesthesia have a urinary catheter placed for at least one day.

Does it hurt to have a urinary catheter inserted?

Inserting a urinary catheter is indeed unpleasant. The urethral structure of men and women is very different, so the feeling is also different. Relatively speaking, it is easier for women. When catheterizing men, pay attention to the technique, avoid stiff insertion, and try to reduce the patient's pain.

However, catheterization during general anesthesia surgery is now more often performed after the patient is anesthetized, which can not only reduce the patient's discomfort, but also reduce everyone's embarrassment. Now lubricants are used to fully lubricate the catheter before catheterization, which can help smooth insertion and help alleviate discomfort. Although catheterization is relatively uncomfortable, it should still be accepted when the condition requires it. This is not only responsible for the surgery but also for yourself.