Effect and safety of carbomer gel on reducing urinary retention of primiparous women after vaginal delivery

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effect and safety of carbomer gel on reducing urinary retention of primiparous women after natural vaginal delivery. Methods Clinical data of 139 women with natural vaginal delivery were collected. Among them，68 cases who voluntarily participated in carbomer gel test were assigned in the study group，and 71 counterparts without use of carbomer gel were allocated in the observation group. In the study group，carbomer gel was applied on the birth canal in vaginal examination from the opening of cervix at 1.0-3.0 cm to the delivery of newborns. Baseline data，labor process，number of catheterization during labor，intrapartum fever，perineal injury，incidence of urinary retention from postpartum to discharge and Apgar score of the newborns were compared between two groups. Results Compared with the control group，the latency and active periods of the first stage of labor in the study group were prolonged，the number of catheterization during labor was less，the incidence of intrapartum fever was lower，and the perineal injury was slighter（all P < 0.05）. The incidence of urinary retention in the study group was 7.35%，significantly lower than 20% in the control group（P < 0.05）. No neonatal asphyxia occurred in two groups. There were no significant differences in Apgar score at 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth（both P > 0.05）. Conclusion Application of carbomer gel in the birth canal can lubricate the birth canal，increase the ductility of soft birth canal，promote fetal head descent，protect the perineum，shorten the first stage of labor，reduce the incidence of urinary retention，and cause no adverse effects on newborns.

Keywords

• carbomer gel|carbome|delivery|postpartum urinary retention|neonatal|apgar score