Abstract: Non-Invasive Measurement of Bladder Volume as an Indication for Bladder Catheterization after Orthopaedic Surgery and its Effect on Urinary Tract Infections

R. Slappendel and E.W. Weber. "Non-invasive measurement of bladder volume as an indication for bladder catheterization after orthopaedic surgery and its effect on urinary tract infections." European Journal of Anaesthesiology 16 (1999): 503-506.

Objectives:
* To determine if the use of ultrasound to measure bladder volume reduced the number of catheters used and the incidence of UTI (urinary tract infection) among patients who experienced elective orthopaedic surgery at a hospital in the Netherlands.

Methods:
* The number of urinary catheters used and the frequency of UTI were studied in two periods, one before and one after the introduction of ultrasonic measurement by the BladderScan^®.
* After the introduction of the BladderScan^®, bladder volume was measured ultrasonically every six hours, unless the patient had spontaneously emptied his bladder, was inexplicably restless, or had not spontaneously voided within eight hours after surgery.

Results:
* "…the BladderScan^® was easy to use. The need for disposables [sterile gloves, local anasethetic gel, sterile swabs, urine bags and trays, disposable syringes, saline solution, and sterile drapes] was halved in the period the BladderScan^® was used, and there were fewer urinary tract infections."

Conclusions:
* "The marked reduction in the use of disposables necessary for bladder catheterization means that the purchase cost of a BladderScan^® will be recouped within two years. This calculation does not include the price of antibiotics and prolonged hospital stay due to UTI."
* "There was also a reduction in the nurses workload and less inconvenience and discomfort for the patients."

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