A new technique for fast and safe collection of urine in newborns.

This great tip was passed on to me by R Ram, from the St Paul’s conference this year. A really simple way to get neonates to pee on demand. Remarkably effective and avoids the contamination problems of bag collections. Worth grabbing the original article but essentially, it comes down to:

 

1. Breast/bottle feed to get them settled and bladder filled up.
2. Hold baby up under armpits with legs dangling 3. Percussion style tap in suprapubic area at 100 bpm for 30 secs 4. Light circular massage to paravertebral lumbar area 5. Repeat until they pee. Effective 86% within 5 mins.

 

Arch Dis Child. 2013 Jan;98(1):27-9. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2012-301872. Epub 2012 Nov 21.

A new technique for fast and safe collection of urine in newborns.

Herreros Fernández ML1, González Merino N, Tagarro García A, Pérez Seoane B, de la Serna Martínez M, Contreras Abad MT, García-Pose A.

 

AIM:

To describe and test a new technique to obtain midstream urine samples in newborns.

DESIGN AND METHODS:

This was a prospective feasibility and safety study conducted in the neonatal unit of University Infanta Sofía Hospital, Madrid. A new technique based on bladder and lumbar stimulation manoeuvres was tested over a period of 4 months in 80 admitted patients aged less than 30 days. The main variable was the success rate in obtaining a midstream urine sample within 5 min. Secondary variables were time to obtain the sample and complications.

RESULTS:

This technique was successful in 86.3% of infants. Median time to sample collection was 45 s (IQR 30). No complications other than controlled crying were observed.

CONCLUSIONS:

A new, quick and safe technique with a high success rate is described, whereby the discomfort and waste of time usually associated with bag collection methods can be avoided.