Traumatic catheterisation: a near miss

Abstract

A 68-year-old man presented with acute urinary retention. An indwelling catheter was inserted by a junior doctor, which immediately caused perineal pain to the patient. When asked about the catheterisation technique, the junior doctor admitted that he did not insert the catheter to the hilt prior to inflating the balloon. The patient was investigated with a pelvic CT scan and a senior doctor in the emergency department interpreted that the catheter was inserted extravesically with possible haemorrhage. However, subsequent cystoscopy revealed no urethral trauma but a small bladder and a diverticulum. It became clear that the suspected haemorrhage was actually the bladder with markedly thickened wall. What was thought to be the bladder turned out to be the diverticulum. Both pathologies were attributable to chronic bladder outlet obstruction from the occlusive prostate. The patient was discharged with a catheter in situ and planned for transurethral resection of prostate in a week's time.