Safety of Tamsulosin to Prevent Urinary Retention After Colorectal Surgery
Author Information
Author(s): Schultz Kurt S. MD, Butensky Samuel D. MD, Hickey Thomas R. MD, MS, Ahuja Vanita MD, MPH, MBA, Perkal Melissa F. MD, Murthy Shilpa S. MD, MPH, Cavallo Jaime A. MD, MPHS, Leeds Ira L. MD, MBA, ScM
Primary Institution: US Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Hypothesis
Perioperative tamsulosin use in male veterans, regardless of their age or BPH history, is safe.
Conclusion
Perioperative empiric tamsulosin was safe for male veterans undergoing elective major colorectal surgery, with no incidents of tamsulosin discontinuation.
Supporting Evidence
- There were zero incidents of tamsulosin discontinuation during the index hospital stay for the tamsulosin group.
- The rate of postoperative urinary retention was 5% in the tamsulosin group compared to 12% in the control group.
- Overall, the average time to postoperative urinary retention was 19.2 hours.
Takeaway
This study looked at whether giving a medicine called tamsulosin to veterans before and after surgery could help them not have problems with peeing afterward. It found that the medicine was safe and might help.
Methodology
Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from male veteran patients undergoing elective major colorectal surgery.
Potential Biases
Potential confounding due to differences in race and volume resuscitation between groups.
Limitations
Patients already prescribed tamsulosin were grouped with those who were tamsulosin-naive, and differences in race and volume resuscitation could contribute to confounding.
Participant Demographics
96 male veterans, mean age 67.6 years, mostly White (88%), with 76% undergoing surgery for cancer.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.017
Statistical Significance
p=0.26
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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