To assess the efficacy of a standardized urinary catheter (UC) management protocol in reducing the incidence of ward UC insertions and UC duration in pediatric orthopedic patients receiving epidural analgesia.
Approach:
Intervention Protocol: Placement of a UC in the operating room and removal on postoperative day 1 (POD-1), with continued epidural analgesia as needed for up to 5 days postoperatively.
Study Design: A single-center, retrospective observational study approved by the Institutional Review Board, analyzing data from pediatric patients undergoing hip or lower extremity surgeries.
Key Findings:
The implementation of the UC management protocol aimed to reduce postoperative urinary retention and UC duration.
Data collected included demographics, ASA-PS scores, type and duration of surgery, and UC management details.
Interpretation:
Limitations:
Retrospective design may limit the ability to establish causation.
Data collection relied on electronic medical records, which may have missing information.
Conclusion:
The study seeks to evaluate the impact of a standardized UC management protocol on urinary catheterization outcomes in pediatric orthopedic patients.
