NCT07125326

How the Method of Bladder Emptying After Epidural Placement in Labor Affects Postpartum Voiding

Intermittent Versus Continuous Bladder Catheterization in Epiduralized Laboring Patients: a Non-blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 564 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

At least ten percent of patients have postpartum urinary retention or difficulty urinating after birth, which can cause incontinence and other urinary problems long-term. After getting an epidural placed, patients should be numb in their pelvic region. This numbness makes it difficult to feel the need to urinate, so patients need a urinary catheter placed to empty the bladder. Some patients have one catheter placed throughout their labor and others have a catheter placed to empty the bladder then removed every few hours. The investigators are studying whether placing a catheter once or catheterizing multiple times affects the rate of postpartum urinary problems and infection.

Detailed description

This is a randomized controlled trial to assess the effect of bladder catheterization method during labor with epidural anesthesia on the rate of postpartum urinary retention.

Conditions

• Urinary Retention
• Urinary Tract Infection (Diagnosis)
• Postpartum Acute Urinary Retention
• Postpartum Care
• Voiding Dysfunction

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Intermittent catheterization	intermittent bladder catheterization every four hours, or shorter intervals if volume exceeds 500mL per expert recommendation
PROCEDURE	Continuous catheterization	One catheter is placed in the bladder until pushing

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-12-09
• Primary completion: 2026-08-01
• Completion: 2027-08-01
• First posted: 2025-08-15
• Last updated: 2026-02-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States