An interventional study of Bladder catheterization in Cesarean Section Complications, sponsored by University of Calgary. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-18.
Sponsored by University of Calgary · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to investigate the impact of routine bladder catheterization in uncomplicated cesarean sections on time to ambulation, time to discharge, urinary retention, development of urinary tract infections, prevention of bladder injury, operating time, and patient satisfaction.
This would be a randomized controlled trial conducted on the labour and delivery and post-partum unit at a large academic site (Foothills Medical Centre) in Calgary, Alberta. Study recruitment of patients awaiting delivery via CS would occur either in participating prenatal clinics in Calgary or in obstetrical triage by a trained nurse research assistant. Participants would be randomized into either a catheterized or non-catheterized group prior to their scheduled elective CS. Allocation concealment will be ensured by using either a central computer generator for randomization if funding permits, otherwise sealed, opaque, and sequenced envelopes will be used. Since there may be potential differences in patients with increasing parity, randomization will be stratified by parity and blocked to prevent imbalance in treatment groups.
University of Calgary is the lead sponsor of 686 studies on the registry; 189 are open to participants now.
Of its 10 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (20%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
- women who are 18 years of age or older with a singleton pregnancy presenting for an elective primary or repeat CS.
Exclusion criteria:
- diagnosis of abnormal placentation including placenta previa, vasa previa, or suspected invasive disease
Patients placed in the catheterized group will have an indwelling catheter placed after anesthetic has been administered. It would be removed at 12 hours post Cesarean section.
Procedure: Bladder catheterization
Participants in the non-catheterized group would be encouraged to empty their bladders just prior to transfer to the operating room where they will undergo surgery without an indwelling catheter.
Patients placed in the catheterized group will have an indwelling catheter placed after anesthetic has been administered. It would be removed at 12 hours post cesarean section.
Time to ambulation
Time to ambulation will be collected via a form that will be distributed by the postpartum nursing team.
Time frame: Prior to discharge, assessed up to 3 days postpartum
Incidence of urinary retention
Urinary retention will be defined based on a patient's inability to spontaneously void requiring either in-and-out catheterization or placement of an indwelling catheter during the post operative course
Time frame: Prior to discharge, assessed up to 3 days postpartum
Incidence of urinary tract infections (UTI) requiring antibiotics in the first 4 weeks postpartum
Incidence of urinary tract infections (UTI) requiring antibiotics in the first 4 weeks postpartum
Time frame: first 4 weeks postpartum
Incidence of bladder injury in surgery
Incidence of bladder injury in surgery will be collected via an electronic post-operative questionnaire filled out by the operating surgeon.
Time frame: During surgery
Operating time
Operating time will be collected via an electronic post-operative questionnaire filled out by the operating surgeon.
Time frame: During surgery
Patient satisfaction as measured by the Maternal Satisfaction for Cesarean Section questionnaire (MSCS)
Patients will be asked to complete the Maternal Satisfaction for Cesarean Section questionnaire at discharge. The minimum and maximum values are 7 and 154 and higher scores mean a better outcome.
Time frame: At discharge, assessed up to 3 days postpartum
Time to discharge
Time to discharge; date and time of discharge will be collected during chart review
Time frame: At discharge, assessed up to 3 days postpartum
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Calgary