Total hip arthroplasty. An investigation of factors related to postoperative urinary retention.

The predisposing factors to urinary retention in patients undergoing hip arthroplasty were investigated by a review of the charts of 272 patients. Age, sex, surgeon, choice and duration of anesthesia, volume of fluid replacement, and use of postoperative intramuscular narcotics did not correlate significantly with urinary retention. However, urinary retention increased from 24% to 62% with the use of epidural morphine for postoperative pain management.