Effect of active versus passive void trials on time to patient discharge, urinary tract infection, and urinary retention: a randomized clinical trial

Purpose We sought to determine the effect of active versus passive voiding trials on time to hospital discharge and rates of urinary tract infection (UTI) and urinary retention (UR). Methods We performed a prospective, randomized trial comparing active (AVT) versus passive (PVT) void trials of inpatients requiring urethral catheter removal. Of 329 eligible patients, 274 were randomized to AVT (bladder filled with saline before catheter removal) or PVT (spontaneous bladder filling after catheter removal). Primary outcome was time to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes were UTI (NSQIP criteria) and UR (requiring repeat catheterization) within 2 weeks of void trial. Results The median time to void was 18 (5–115) versus 236 (136–360) min in the AVT and PVT groups, respectively ( p