Normal Urinary Function
- Normal urine output is 60mL/hr or 1500mL/day; should remain 30 mL/hr to ensure continued normal kidney function
- Urine normally consists of 96% water
- Solutes found in urine include:
- Organic solutes: urea, ammonia, uric acid and creatinine
- Inorganic solutes: sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfate, magnesium & phosphorus
Common Assessment Findings
- Urgency – strong desire to void my be caused by inflammations or infections in the bladder or urethra
- Dysuria – painful or difficult voiding
- Frequency – voiding that occurs more than usual when compared with the person’s regular pattern or the generally accepted norm of voiding once every 3 to 6 hours
- Hesitancy – undue delay and difficulty in initiating voiding
- Polyuria – a large volume of urine or output voided at any given time
- Oliguria – a small volume of urine or output between 100 to 500 mL/24 hr
- Nocturia – excessive urination at night interrupting sleep
- Hematuria – RBCs in the urine
