Urinary Retention

Urinary Retention is the condition when the patient cannot urinate despite the strong desire to do so. There are two types: the acute and chronic urinary retentionAcute Retention is the sudden and abrupt retention occurring in patients who always had some difficulty in urinating but who used to succeed in ultimately emptying their bladder to a satisfactory degree. It is an emergency condition, causing high discomfort to the patient with bladder pain, agitation and heavy perspiration (oversweating). It is imperative to void the bladder by immediately placing a catheter into the bladder. In Chronic Retention a considerable amount of urine remains in the bladder after urination. This amount gradually increases and urine output may reach even 3-4 litres. The patient may not be aware of his/her chronic retention, because it usually does not cause intense symptoms; however, it may lead to severe problems, such as renal failure.