title: Urethral catheter removal 7 or 14 days after radical retropubic prostatectomy: clinical implications and complications in a randomized study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the hypothesis that a 7-day period of indwelling catheter after radical retropubic prostatectomy is effective and safe without the need of performing cystography.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the period from January of 2000 to July of 2002, 73 patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy, and these patients were prospectively randomized in 2 groups: Group 1-37 patients who had the urethral catheter removed 7 days after the procedure, and Group 2-36 patients who had the catheter removed 14 days after the surgery. The 2 groups were similar, the surgeons and the technique were the same, and no cystography was performed to evaluate the presence of leaks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two patients in Group 1 had bleeding and clot retention after having the catheter taken out in the seventh postoperative day and were managed by putting the catheter back in for 7 more days. Two patients in Group 2 developed bladder neck stricture and were treated by bladder neck incision with success. The continence rate was the same, with 2 cases of incontinence in each group. About 2 pads a day were used by the patients with incontinence. The average follow-up was 17.5 months (12-36 months). No urinary fistula, urinoma, or pelvic abscesses developed after catheter removal. Two patients were excluded from the analysis of this series: 1 died with a pulmonary embolus in the third postoperative day, and 1 developed a urinary suprapubic fistula before catheter withdrawal, which was maintained for 16 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Withdrawal of the urethral catheter 7 days after radical retropubic prostatectomy, without performing cystography, has a low rate of short-term complications that are equivalent to withdrawal 14 days after the surgery.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology of the Santa Casa of Porto Alegre (ISCMPA) and Federal Foundation of Porto Alegre (FFFCMA) - Porto Alegre/Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. cavsouto@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Carlos Ary Vargas
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Souto
authors.forename: Ernani Luis
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Rhoden
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Conti
authors.forename: Mário
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chammas
authors.forename: Sandro Eduardo
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Laste
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fornari
authors.forename: Eduardo Porto
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Liana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scholl
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Teloken
authors.forename: José Carlos Stumpf
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Souto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000009:adverse effects; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D020878:Device Removal / Q000592:standards*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation*