Perioperative care: postoperative urinary retention: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

General Surgery · Perioperative care: postoperative urinary retention

Sample item

A patient after spinal anesthesia has suprapubic discomfort, inability to void, and a palpable distended bladder. What is the immediate management?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Bladder scan and catheter drainage when indicated

Postoperative urinary retention is common after anesthesia and opioids. Assessment with bladder scan and timely decompression prevents pain, overdistension, and renal complications.

Option by option

  • A. Bladder scan and catheter drainage when indicated (correct)

    Correct. Objective assessment and drainage relieve retention safely.

  • B. Increase intravenous opioids

    Opioids can worsen retention.

  • C. Give an antidiarrheal

    Antidiarrheals have no role.

  • D. Ignore symptoms until morning

    Delay can lead to bladder overdistension and complications.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Surgery questions

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is A, Bladder scan and catheter drainage when indicated. Postoperative urinary retention is common after anesthesia and opioids.

Why is "Increase intravenous opioids" not the answer?

Opioids can worsen retention.

Why is "Give an antidiarrheal" not the answer?

Antidiarrheals have no role.

Why is "Ignore symptoms until morning" not the answer?

Delay can lead to bladder overdistension and complications.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Perioperative care: postoperative urinary retention in General Surgery. Assessment with bladder scan and timely decompression prevents pain, overdistension, and renal complications.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Perioperative care: postoperative urinary retention?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.