The Impact of Retropubic Lidocaine vs Saline on Postoperative Urinary Retention Following Midurethral Sling

NCT ID: NCT03913845

Last Updated: 2025-10-03

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

150 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-11-25

Study Completion Date

2024-11-14

Brief Summary

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Stress urinary incontinence affects millions of women worldwide and has a profound impact on the quality of life of older individuals, their subjective health status, levels of depression and need for care. Midurethral sling placement was introduced in 1995 and remains the current gold standard for surgical management of SUI. Although the advantages of midurethral sling surgery include its high success and minimally invasive approach, approximately 10-50% of women experience acute postoperative urinary retention and are subsequently sent home with an indwelling foley catheter or clean intermittent self catheterization. Urinary retention is anxiety provoking for most patients and adds morbidity, cost, and increased utilization of healthcare resources. Additionally, catheterization of the urinary tract results in increased risk of urinary tract infection and potential need for antibiotics.

Several recent studies have reported varying rates of postoperative voiding trial success depending on the type of local anesthetic used for hydrodissection; however the data is sparse and invites a more thorough investigation. Furthermore, to the investigators knowledge, no studies have systematically explored dosage or type of agent used intraoperatively on postoperative voiding function. Based on the preliminary data, the investigators hypothesize that patients receiving normal saline compared to a local anesthetic (e.g., lidocaine) will have a reduction in duration of postoperative urinary retention following retropubic midurethral sling placement.

Detailed Description

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Aim 1: to compare the incidence of urinary retention following retropubic midurethral sling placement in those women receiving normal saline vs lidocaine for retropubic hydrodissection. The investigators will compare rates of failed retrograde voiding trials between patients receiving normal saline to those receiving the same quantity of lidocaine. This will be completed using a standardized retrograde voiding trial 1-2 hours postoperatively (as outlined in "Data and Statistical Methods" below). The investigators hypothesize that patients receiving normal saline compared to a local anesthetic will have a reduction in postoperative urinary retention following retropubic midurethral sling placement.

Aim 2: to assess postoperative pain in women receiving retropubic normal saline vs lidocaine during midurethral sling placement. Postoperatively, subjects will be asked to mark their pain on a VAS scale administered 2 hours and 6 hours following surgery. The initial assessment will be performed by nursing personnel at the time of routine vital sign assessment; the subsequent assessments will be completed by patients with an at-home form through postoperative day #7. Narcotic use will be queried through the electronic medical record as well as with a pain diary administered at time of discharge until postoperative day #7.

Aim 3: to examine differences in patient satisfaction and quality of life following retropubic midurethral sling placement between women receiving retropubic normal saline vs lidocaine at time of midurethral sling placement. Differences in patient satisfaction will be compared using a Likert Scale. Patients will be asked to rate their satisfaction with surgery on a Likert scale (with 1 being the least satisfied and 5 being the most) at their 6 week postoperative follow up visit. The investigators hypothesize that women receiving normal saline for hydrodissection will have improved patient satisfaction as evidenced by higher Likert scores compared to those receiving lidocaine.

Conditions

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Stress Urinary Incontinence

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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0.5% lidocaine with epinephrine

On the day of surgery, the operating room pharmacist will prepare 20 cc of either study drug (0.5% lidocaine with epinephrine 1:200,000) or normal saline with epinephrine 1:200,000) in identical appearing 20cc syringes to be injected retropubically. Our group's routine clinical practice is to inject 20cc of 0.5% lidocaine with epinephrine 1:200,000 retropubically along the path of the midurethral sling trocars. Suburethral injection of local anesthestic will be performed at surgeon discretion. Surgical teams, anesthesia teams and patients will be blinded to allocation assignment. The investigational drug pharmacist will maintain the randomization sequence.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

lidocaine with epinephrine

Intervention Type DRUG

One of the most commonly used local anesthetic agents in surgical practice is lidocaine. Lidocaine as a local anesthetic is characterized by a rapid onset of action (typically within 2-5 minutes of injection) and intermediate duration of efficacy and thus is often favored in the outpatient setting for pre-incisional injections. Of note, however, its effects general only last up to 2 hours. Epinephrine (adrenaline) vasoconstricts arteries, delaying the resorption of lidocaine, and thus almost doubles the duration of anesthesia.

Normal saline with epinephrine

On the day of surgery, the operating room pharmacist will prepare 20 cc of either study drug (0.5% lidocaine with epinephrine 1:200,000) or normal saline with epinephrine 1:200,000) in identical appearing 20cc syringes to be injected retropubically. Our group's routine clinical practice is to inject 20cc of 0.5% lidocaine with epinephrine 1:200,000 retropubically along the path of the midurethral sling trocars. Suburethral injection of local anesthestic will be performed at surgeon discretion. Surgical teams, anesthesia teams and patients will be blinded to allocation assignment. The investigational drug pharmacist will maintain the randomization sequence.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Normal saline with epinephrine

Intervention Type DRUG

Several mechanisms could explain the inability to void postoperatively, including nerve conduction impairment from anesthesia. Multiple studies have investigated the use of various types of anesthesia and downstream effects on postoperative urinary retention. It is postulated that denervating the regional pelvic nerves for pain control may lead to denervation of the bladder for a transient period of time, block both the afferent and efferent pathways of the voiding mechanism, affect the urethral retro-resistance pressure and impact urethral length thereby contributing to voiding dysfunction postoperatively. The use of normal saline in this setting may have a reduction in rates and duration of postoperative urinary retention following retropubic midurethral sling placement.

Interventions

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lidocaine with epinephrine

One of the most commonly used local anesthetic agents in surgical practice is lidocaine. Lidocaine as a local anesthetic is characterized by a rapid onset of action (typically within 2-5 minutes of injection) and intermediate duration of efficacy and thus is often favored in the outpatient setting for pre-incisional injections. Of note, however, its effects general only last up to 2 hours. Epinephrine (adrenaline) vasoconstricts arteries, delaying the resorption of lidocaine, and thus almost doubles the duration of anesthesia.

Intervention Type DRUG

Normal saline with epinephrine

Several mechanisms could explain the inability to void postoperatively, including nerve conduction impairment from anesthesia. Multiple studies have investigated the use of various types of anesthesia and downstream effects on postoperative urinary retention. It is postulated that denervating the regional pelvic nerves for pain control may lead to denervation of the bladder for a transient period of time, block both the afferent and efferent pathways of the voiding mechanism, affect the urethral retro-resistance pressure and impact urethral length thereby contributing to voiding dysfunction postoperatively. The use of normal saline in this setting may have a reduction in rates and duration of postoperative urinary retention following retropubic midurethral sling placement.

Intervention Type DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age 18 years or older
* English speaking
* Competent to give consent

Exclusion Criteria

* A known intolerance or allergic reaction to local anesthetics
* Planned spinal anesthesia for the procedure
* Planned concomitant prolapse repair other than anterior repair
* Preoperative voiding dysfunction as evidenced by a postvoid residual (PVR) of 150 mL or greater.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

99 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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AHN Research Institute

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

West Penn Allegheny Health System

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Lindsay Turner

MD Female Pelvic Medicine

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Lindsay Turner, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Allegheny Health Network

Locations

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AHN Bethel Park Health + Wellness Pavilion

Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

AHN Jefferson Hospital

Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

AHN West Penn Hospital

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

AHN Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion

Wexford, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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ICOPE guidelines - World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/ageing/publications/guidelines-icope/en/

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Duenas-Garcia OF, Patterson D, De la Luz Nieto M, Leung K, Flynn MK. Voiding Function After Midurethral Slings With and Without Local Anesthetic: Randomized Controlled Trial. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2017 Jan/Feb;23(1):56-60. doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000000343.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27682748 (View on PubMed)

Bracken JN, Huffaker RK, Yandell PM, Handcock T, Higgins EW, Kuehl TJ, Shull BL. A randomized comparison of bupivacaine versus saline during placement of tension-free vaginal tape. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2012 Mar-Apr;18(2):93-6. doi: 10.1097/SPV.0b013e3182436655.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22453319 (View on PubMed)

Nilsson CG, Kuuva N, Falconer C, Rezapour M, Ulmsten U. Long-term results of the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure for surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2001;12 Suppl 2:S5-8. doi: 10.1007/s001920170003.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11450979 (View on PubMed)

Nilsson CG, Falconer C, Rezapour M. Seven-year follow-up of the tension-free vaginal tape procedure for treatment of urinary incontinence. Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Dec;104(6):1259-62. doi: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000146639.62563.e5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15572486 (View on PubMed)

Mazloomdoost D, Pauls RN, Hennen EN, Yeung JY, Smith BC, Kleeman SD, Crisp CC. Liposomal bupivacaine decreases pain following retropubic sling placement: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2017 Nov;217(5):598.e1-598.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2017.07.001. Epub 2017 Jul 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28694151 (View on PubMed)

Nicolle LE. Catheter associated urinary tract infections. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2014 Jul 25;3:23. doi: 10.1186/2047-2994-3-23. eCollection 2014.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25075308 (View on PubMed)

Balakrishnan K, Ebenezer V, Dakir A, Kumar S, Prakash D. Bupivacaine versus lignocaine as the choice of locall anesthetic agent for impacted third molar surgery a review. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2015 Apr;7(Suppl 1):S230-3. doi: 10.4103/0975-7406.155921.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26015720 (View on PubMed)

Petros PE, Ulmsten UI. An integral theory of female urinary incontinence. Experimental and clinical considerations. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand Suppl. 1990;153:7-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0412.1990.tb08027.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 2093278 (View on PubMed)

Duckett JR, Patil A, Papanikolaou NS. Predicting early voiding dysfunction after tension-free vaginal tape. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2008 Jan;28(1):89-92. doi: 10.1080/01443610701811837.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18259908 (View on PubMed)

Choi S, Mahon P, Awad IT. Neuraxial anesthesia and bladder dysfunction in the perioperative period: a systematic review. Can J Anaesth. 2012 Jul;59(7):681-703. doi: 10.1007/s12630-012-9717-5. Epub 2012 Apr 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22535232 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

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Retropubic Lidocaine vs Saline

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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