Early or Late Foley Removal After Thoracotomy

Optimal Timing of Foley Catheter Removal in Patients Undergoing Thoracic Surgery With Epidural Analgesia: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Is the early removal of Foley catheter safe in patients undergoing general thoracic surgery with an epidural catheter in place?

We hypothesis that removing the foley catheter within 48 hours after a thoracotomy in patients that have an epidural catheter will result in an increase in the rate of urinary infections and the need for reinsertion of the foley. We have designed a randomized trial to test this hypothesis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• epidural catheter after thoracic surgery
• foley in place

Exclusion Criteria:

• < 18 years of age
• death in hospital within 30 days of the operation
• length of hospital stay is less than 48 hours
• epidural catheter is removed before the 3rd postoperative day
• patients who have a suprapubic catheter or no bladder
• patients who require a urologist or a urologic technician to insert the Foley catheter at the time of surgery
• patients who were being intermittently catheterized before surgery
• patients with a known urinary tract infection preoperatively
• patients required to keep Foley in since they required close monitoring of urinary output