“Why can't I urinate after anesthesia?”
I am a 43 year old male. After general anesthesia I can't urinate. What could be the cause?
4 Answers
A few factors related to anesthesia can cause this. Some medications, types of anesthesia (especially spinal or epidurals), and large amounts of IV fluid, as well as the stress of surgery, can all contribute.
If you are unable to urinate and your bladder is uncomfortably distended, you should go to an urgent care or ER to get a catheter inserted to drain the urine. This would rarely need to be done more than once.
If you are unable to urinate and your bladder is uncomfortably distended, you should go to an urgent care or ER to get a catheter inserted to drain the urine. This would rarely need to be done more than once.
Hi.
It is not uncommon to have delayed urination or difficult urination after anesthesia, whether general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, or epidural anesthesia.
Some pre-existing conditions such as benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) (Prostate Enlargement ) or use of narcotics such as morphine make this condition more prevalent .
The reason is that the anesthesia affects the nerves that control urinary bladder and its normal function, leading to urinary retention and delayed bladder emptying.
Some early trial on the part of the patient to empty the bladder even when there is no sense of need to do so, or some medications called alpha blockers help to urinate sooner than later. If nothing helps , and the bladder feels full, then a sterile plastic catheter should be inserted into the bladder via the urethra under sterile conditions by the nursing-medical staff to drain the urine while the patient is still in the post operative care unit (PACU), and before the patient is sent to the Hospital Room , or discharged home.
With best wishes.
M. Tabatabai, MD
It is not uncommon to have delayed urination or difficult urination after anesthesia, whether general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, or epidural anesthesia.
Some pre-existing conditions such as benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) (Prostate Enlargement ) or use of narcotics such as morphine make this condition more prevalent .
The reason is that the anesthesia affects the nerves that control urinary bladder and its normal function, leading to urinary retention and delayed bladder emptying.
Some early trial on the part of the patient to empty the bladder even when there is no sense of need to do so, or some medications called alpha blockers help to urinate sooner than later. If nothing helps , and the bladder feels full, then a sterile plastic catheter should be inserted into the bladder via the urethra under sterile conditions by the nursing-medical staff to drain the urine while the patient is still in the post operative care unit (PACU), and before the patient is sent to the Hospital Room , or discharged home.
With best wishes.
M. Tabatabai, MD
This is a common occurrence after anesthesia. It should resolve on its own after a short amount of time. Many centers will do an ultrasound of your bladder if you have not yet voided before sending you home. Assuming that the surgery is not urological in nature, it is simply a side effect of the medications and a general anesthetic. If it persists, you might have to go into the emergency department to have your bladder drained by catheter. This is a rare thing to have happen.
Urinary retention is a common problem in men 40 years or more. You should get a urologist evaluation to rule out prostatic problems. Spinal anesthesia can produce urinary retention.
