Reduction of length of hospital stay after transurethral resection of prostate by early catheter removal: a retrospective analysis.

The aim of this study was to determine whether early catheter removal after transurethral resection of prostate significantly reduces the length of hospital stay. Fifty two consecutive patients who underwent transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were reviewed retrospectively. Patient's profile and all relevant data were noted from charts. The length of hospital stay was registered in days. These patients were divided into two group; Group I (n=20) includes patients whose catheter was removed within 2 days of operation and group II (n=32) includes beyond 2 days. Various parameters were analyzed in between the groups using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) for Windows. The demographics of the patients, pre-operative morbidities and immediate post-operative complications in both groups were comparable. There was statistically significant difference noted in duration of resection, weight of resected prostatic tissue, catheter removal and length of hospital stay between group I and group II. Length of hospital stay strongly correlates with days on which catheter was removed. Further, correlation was found between the catheter removal and the weight of resected prostatic tissue; but not with duration of resection. In conclusion, early catheter removal significantly shortens the length of hospital stay, which not only helps the authorities for efficient bed management, but also saves cost. The weight of resected prostatic chips and duration of resection are few peri-operative factors which can guide for effective catheter management after TURP.