Magnesium Helps Gall Bladder Pains After Transurethral Resection

What is Transurethral Resection

Transurethral resection is a surgical procedure to remove a tumor from the bladder. After the operation, patients require a large-diameter urinary catheter, a tube inserted through the urethra to empty the bladder of urine, inducing bladder discomfort. Much of the discomfort is from the pain caused by bladder muscle contractions. Although there are medicines for this pain, the possibility of adverse reactions exists. More research is needed to look for the most effective and safest alternatives.

Magnesium can help reduce moderate-to-severe pain by relaxing the bladder muscles. The investigators would test this assumption in this study among patients recovering from transurethral resection of bladder tumor.

The Study on How Magnesium can Help Reduce Pain

All 120 participants had scheduled surgery to remove a bladder tumor. They were randomly assigned into two groups in the operating room — 60 were given magnesium sulfate, 60 with saline, both administered after anesthesia was induced. Catheter-related bladder discomfort was assessed at 0, 1, 2, and 6 hours after the operation.

The Results

In the magnesium group, the incidence of catheter-related bladder discomfort and severity of the pain at 0, 1, and 2 hours after the operation was significantly lower, and patient satisfaction was significantly higher.

The Conclusion

Magnesium considerably reduced the incidence of catheter-related bladder discomfort and significantly increased satisfaction in patients who had transurethral resection of bladder tumor. These results suggest that magnesium administration could be an effective and safe treatment option for these patients.

Reference

Magnesium and Bladder Discomfort after Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study