Urinary Elimination, Incontinence, and Retention

A comprehensive vocabulary review of urinary elimination concepts, patterns of incontinence, infections, retention, diagnostic techniques, and pharmacological interventions from the lecture.

Anuria

A urinary output volume of less than $100\,\text{mL}$ within a $24$-hour period.

Oliguria

A diminished urinary output of less than $400\,\text{mL}$ in a $24$-hour period, or less than $30\,\text{mL/hr}$.

Minimum Expected Hourly Output

The standard baseline urinary output required for adult patients, defined as at least $30\,\text{mL}$ per hour.

Nocturia

Frequent or excessive urination occurring during the night.

Enuresis

Involuntary nighttime urination, commonly referred to as bed-wetting, typically observed in pediatric patients.

Urge Incontinence

Involuntary loss of a large amount of urine preceded by a strong, sudden, and uncontrolled urge to void.

Functional Incontinence

Urinary leakage caused by physical disabilities, cognitive impairments such as dementia, or environmental obstacles and tethers preventing timely access to the toilet.

Overflow Incontinence

Unexpected dribbling or leakage of small amounts of urine resulting from an overly full or distended bladder.

Reflex Incontinence

Loss of urine caused by neurological disorders such as stroke, tumors, or multiple sclerosis that impair nerve impulse transmission involved in micturition.

Mixed Incontinence

A condition presenting with combined manifestations and etiologies of both stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

Dysuria

Painful, burning, or uncomfortable urination.

Hematuria

The presence of blood in the urine, which may present with a discolored, cloudy, or chunky appearance.

Urethritis

An inflammatory infection localized specifically to the urethra.

Cystitis

An infection of the urinary bladder, categorised as a lower urinary tract infection.

Pyelonephritis

An upper urinary tract infection involving the kidneys, characterized systemically by fevers, chills, and flank pain.

Suprapubic Pain

Discomfort or tenderness situated in the lower abdomen below the umbilicus and directly over the anatomical location of the bladder.

Flank Pain

Pain localized to the back at the costovertebral angle, serving as a key assessment finding for kidney involvement and upper urinary tract infection.

Clean Catch Specimen

A midstream urine collection technique where the perineal area is cleansed with Castile towelettes and the initial stream is voided before collecting urine in the cup to prevent contamination.

Insensible Fluid Loss

Fluid loss from the body that cannot be directly measured, including losses from respiration, talking, and stool.

Phenazopyridine

A urinary analgesic that relieves dysuria, burning, and urgency for up to $3$ days without treating the underlying bacterial infection, notably turning the urine orange.

Post-Void Residual (PVR)

The measurement of remaining urine volume in the bladder using an ultrasound bladder scanner immediately following voluntary micturition.

Double Voiding

A behavioral technique where a patient empties their bladder, waits several minutes, and attempts to void again to maximize evacuation and reduce retention.

Tamsulosin

An alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker that relaxes smooth muscle in the urinary tract to improve flow during retention or stone passage, which can induce orthostatic hypotension.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

An age-related enlargement of the male prostate gland that mechanically compresses the urethra, causing hesitancy, interrupted stream, urinary dribbling, and retention.

Hydronephrosis

Distension and swelling of the renal pelvis and calyces caused by the retrograde accumulation of retained urine when outflow is obstructed.

Neobladder

A surgically created continent urinary diversion formed from a resected portion of the bowel that functionally replaces the native bladder.