Double Voiding and Post-transplant UTI

Urinary tract infections are common in kidney transplant recipients and are an important cause of morbidity and hospital readmissions. Several risk factors for UTI, both modifiable and unmodifiable, have been described in the literature. In normal (non-transplant) individuals, because of the anatomy of the ureter insertion into the bladder that creates a valve-like effect during voiding, reflux of urine into the kidney is prevented . However, after kidney transplantation, urine refluxing into the transplanted kidney is common. Depending on the surgical technique used for connecting the transplant ureter to the urinary bladder, reflux may occur in up to 79% of kidney transplant recipients. In addition, the routine usage of ureteral stents (double J stents) for the first 4-6 weeks after transplantation results in reflux. Vesicoureteral reflux increases the risk of UTI Double voiding, a process of passing urine more than once each time, is a technique that may assist the bladder to empty more effectively when urine is left in the bladder. By reducing the amount of left-over urine in the bladder after each void, double voiding may help reduce the incidence of UTI in kidney transplant recipients.