Living donor renal transplant recipients tolerate early removal of bladder catheters.

Recipients of living donor renal grafts enjoy numerous benefits compared with deceased donor kidney recipients. Bladder catheterization allows for the continuous determination of urinary output and, theoretically, may prevent urinary leaks. A series of 25 consecutive renal transplants was reviewed to evaluate the timing of removal of bladder catheters after transplantation. Removing urinary catheters as early as 24 h to 48 h post-transplant showed no increase in undesirable outcomes. More than 50% of the patients had invasive bladder catheters in place for only one or two days. Early removal was associated with a lower rate of urinary tract infections, decreased length of hospitalization and possibly less discomfort, in the absence of detrimental effects.