Ureteral catheters for colorectal surgery: Influence on operative times and complication outcomes: An observational study

PURPOSE: Placement of pre-operative ureteral catheters for colorectal surgery can aid in the identification of ureteral injuries. This study investigates whether simultaneous ureteral catheterization with surgery skin preparation can minimize operating room times without increasing post-operative complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing simultaneous colorectal surgery skin preparation and placement of pre-operative ureteral catheters (n=21) were compared to those who underwent these events sequentially (n=28). Operative time-points of anesthesia ready (AR), surgery procedure start (PS), dorsal lithotomy and catheter insertion (CI) times were compared to assess for differences between groups. Complications were compared between groups. RESULTS: There were no differences in age, gender, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), comorbidities, current procedure terminology (CPT) or International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision (ICD-9) codes between groups. Simultaneous catheterization saved 11.82 minutes of operative time between CI to PS (p=0.005, t-test). There was a significant difference in mean time between CI to PS (11.82 minutes, p=0.008) between simultaneous and sequential ureteral catheterization groups in a linear regression multivariate analysis controlling for age, BMI, CPT and ICD-9 codes. There were 4 complications in the simultaneous (19%) and 3 in the sequential group (11%) (p=0.68). CONCLUSIONS: Ureteral catheterization and colorectal surgery skin preparation in a simultaneous fashion decreases the time between CI and PS without significant increase in complications. Mean time saved with simultaneous ureteral catheterization was 11.82 minutes per case. Simultaneous ureteral catheterization may be an option in colorectal surgery and may result in cost savings without additional complications.