Cesarean DeliveryDUCCNCT06881849
Duration of Urinary Catheterization Following Cesarean Deliveries Under Neuraxial Anesthesia
An observational study of Cesarean Delivery and Urinary Catheterization, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
In cesarean deliveries, urinary catheters are often used to help empty the bladder while patients have limited mobility. These catheters typically stay in during early recovery because certain pain medications can make it hard for patients to urinate. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 19 years and older, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Cesarean Delivery, Urinary Catheterization
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 13 Feb 2025to 4 Jul 2025
- Phase
- Observational
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 19 years and older
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Patient's who underwent a cesarean delivery at BC Women's Hospital.
Who may be able to join
- Patients ≥19 years of age.
- Undergoing cesarean delivery (elective or emergent) at BC Women's Hospital.
- Neuraxial anesthesia as their primary mode of anesthesia (spinal, epidural, combined spinal-epidural, dural-puncture epidural).
- In-patient status at 24 (+/- 8) hours.
- Self-reported proficiency in speaking and reading English.
Who cannot join
- Refusal to participate.
- Inability to provide informed consent.
- Other surgery (i.e. cervical cerclage) or delivery modes (i.e. operative vaginal delivery).
- De novo general anesthetic, or patients who had a conversion from neuraxial to a general anesthetic.
- Communication from patient's nurse indicating that it is not appropriate to approach due to distressing birth experience and/or outcome.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Duration of Urinary Catheterization Following Cesarean Deliveries Under Neuraxial Anesthesia: A Prospective Cohort Study
In cesarean deliveries, urinary catheters are often used to help empty the bladder while patients have limited mobility. These catheters typically stay in during early recovery because certain pain medications can make it hard for patients to urinate. Recently, the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) recommended removing catheters within 6-12 hours after delivery to aid recovery. However, at BC Women's Hospital, a review found that catheters stayed in for an average of 19 to 19.4 hours, even when patients were mobile.
Leaving catheters in too long can increase the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs), pain, and urination issues, which can delay recovery and extend hospital stays. An internal review showed that factors like patient anxiety may affect when catheters are removed. Postpartum anxiety affects around 9.9% to 20.7% of new mothers in the first year and is an important factor in recovery after a cesarean delivery.
The main goal of this study is to look at how long urinary catheters stay in patients who had a cesarean delivery under spinal or epidural anesthesia, and what the score is from a questionnaire used to measure anxiety called the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), to see if there is a link between them.
Read the detailed description
This study aims to analyze how long foley catheters stay in the patient after their cesarean delivery under neuraxial anesthesia and what barriers there are in taking them out earlier.
- Conditions
- Cesarean Delivery, Urinary Catheterization
- Keywords
- patient recovery, cesarean delivery, urinary catheterization, foley catheter, patient anxiety
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Correlation between duration of urinary catheterization and STAI-S score
The STAI-S scale measures the respondents current state of anxiety by using terms to evaluate subjective feelings of worry, apprehension, concern, and nervousness. The scoring is 20-37 to indicate low anxiety, 38-44 to indicate moderate anxiety, and 45-80 to indicate high anxiety.
Measured: From the time of enrollment until urinary catheter removal, assessed up to 24 (+/- 8) postpartum.
Secondary outcomes (4)
Timing of delivery
This outcome measures the duration of urinary catheterization in relation to the time of delivery. Specifically, it examines whether the time of day a patient delivers (e.g., morning vs. afternoon vs. evening/night) is associated with differences in the length of time the urinary catheter remains in place. The duration of catheterization will be recorded in hours from placement to removal and compared across delivery time categories
Measured: From urinary catheter placement until its removal, assessed up to 24 (+/- 8) hours postpartum, categorized based on delivery time (e.g., morning: 06:00-11:59, afternoon: 12:00-17:59, evening/night: 18:00-05:59)
Neuraxial Technique
This outcome measures the duration of urinary catheterization in relation to the neuraxial anesthesia technique used for delivery. Specifically, it examines whether different neuraxial techniques (e.g., spinal, epidural, combined spinal-epidural, or dural-puncture epidural) are associated with differences in the length of time the urinary catheter remains in place. The duration of catheterization will be recorded in hours from placement to removal and compared across neuraxial technique groups
Measured: From urinary catheter placement until its removal, assessed up 24 (+/- 8) hours postpartum, categorized by neuraxial technique used during delivery
Opioid Dose
This outcome measures the duration of urinary catheterization in relation to the total opioid dose administered during neuraxial anesthesia for delivery. Specifically, it examines whether higher or lower opioid doses are associated with differences in the length of time the urinary catheter remains in place. The duration of catheterization will be recorded in hours from placement to removal and analyzed in relation to the opioid dose received during cesarean delivery. These opioid doses will be taken down: Total dose of spinal bupivacaine (mg), total dose of spinal fentanyl (mcg), total dose of spinal morphine (mg), total dose of epidural lidocaine (mg), total dose of epidural fentanyl (mcg), total dose of epidural morphine (mg).
Measured: From urinary catheter placement until its removal, assessed up to 24 (+/- 8) hours postpartum, categorized by total neuraxial opioid dose administered.
Nursing Perception
This outcome measures postpartum nurses' perceptions of barriers to early urinary catheter removal. Nurses will complete a brief survey assessing nine predefined factors that may contribute to delayed catheter removal. Specifically, 'patient had difficulty mobilizing and/or voiding', 'patient had pain', 'patient was fatigued', 'patient experienced emotional and/or psychological distress', 'patient went to the NICU', 'patient requested to keep catheter in', 'patient had a history of infection (such as UTIs)', 'patient had a history of urinary retention', and 'concern about patient requiring re-catheterization'. Responses will be recorded as "Yes" or "No" for each statement, and the overall distribution of responses will be analyzed to identify common perceived barriers.
Measured: Survey completed by the patient's postpartum nurse within 24 (+/- 8) hours after urinary catheter removal.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 Mar 2025
- Study start13 Feb 2025
- Primary completion4 Jul 2025
- Study completion4 Jul 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (6)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Cesarean DeliveryStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of British ColumbiaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of British Columbia
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Anthony Chau, University of British Columbia
- Investigators
- Anton Chau, MD MMSc, Principal investigator, University of British Columbia
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06881849
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H24-03410
- Acronym
- DUCC
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 13 Feb 2025
- Last updated
- 6 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Figueiredo B, Conde A. Anxiety and depression in women and men from early pregnancy to 3-months postpartum. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2011 Jun;14(3):247-55. doi: 10.1007/s00737-011-0217-3. Epub 2011 Apr 9.
PubMed 21479759Julian LJ. Measures of anxiety: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A). Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011 Nov;63 Suppl 11(0 11):S467-72. doi: 10.1002/acr.20561. No abstract available.
PubMed 22588767Goodman JH, Watson GR, Stubbs B. Anxiety disorders in postpartum women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2016 Oct;203:292-331. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.05.033. Epub 2016 Jun 1.
PubMed 27317922Sutherland E, Yang T, Chau A. Duration of Urinary Catheterization After Cesarean Deliveries: A Retrospective Cohort Study..Poster session presented at: 2023 Summer Student Poster Day; 2023 Jul 27; Chieng Family Atrium, BC Children's Research Institute
Bollag L, Lim G, Sultan P, Habib AS, Landau R, Zakowski M, Tiouririne M, Bhambhani S, Carvalho B. Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology: Consensus Statement and Recommendations for Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean. Anesth Analg. 2021 May 1;132(5):1362-1377. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000005257.
PubMed 33177330Basbug A, Yuksel A, Ellibes Kaya A. Early versus delayed removal of indwelling catheters in patients after elective cesarean section: a prospective randomized trial. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2020 Jan;33(1):68-72. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2018.1487394. Epub 2018 Jul 18.
PubMed 29886771