Spontaneous Void Requirements for Patients Undergoing Ambulatory Anorectal Surgery

The objective of this study is to assess if not requiring patients to spontaneous void prior to discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) will results in shorter lengths of stay in the post-anesthesia care unit without increasing hospital readmissions or emergency room visits.

This study will be a prospective clinical trial, in which 100 anorectal surgery patients will be randomly assigned to a control (spontaneous void) or experimental (no void group). The spontaneous void group will include 50 patients who will be required to void spontaneously after anorectal surgeries. The no void group will be 50 patients who will be discharged home from the PACU once they meet ambulatory surgery center discharge criteria per hospital guidelines. Patients requiring anorectal surgeries will be consented to take part in the study during the preoperative outpatient office visit. A post-operative phone call will be made by designated study personnel to participants on post-op day 30 using a study questionnaire to assess re-admission and emergency room visits.

Patients in the control group will follow the standard of care protocol and are required to void post anorectal surgery before being discharged home.

Patients in the experimental group (No Void Intervention) will be discharged home without voiding spontaneously.

Currently the protocol at The Ohio State University Hospital requires voiding spontaneously prior to discharge from the PACU. Our intervention group will be discharged home without having to void spontaneously as a discharge criteria.

Inclusion Criteria: Age 18-80 years old Patients undergoing hemorrhoidectomy, fistulotomy or anal condyloma excision Exclusion Criteria: Age < 18 yo or > 80 yo Prisoners Pregnant Women Unable or unwilling to follow the study protocol or any reason the research team believes the subject is not appropriate candidate for this study