A client with heart failure is found to have a cystocele. Which nursing diagnosis is most likely?

A client with heart failure is found to have a cystocele. Which nursing diagnosis is most likely?

• A. Stress urinary incontinence
• B. Urinary retention
• C. Overflow incontinence
• D. Functional incontinence

Answer: (A)

A cystocele weakens the support of the bladder and urethra. When intra-abdominal pressure rises—for example, with coughing, sneezing, or lifting—the bladder neck and urethra can’t stay properly supported, leading to urine leakage. This leakage that occurs with physical effort is called stress urinary incontinence, making it the most likely nursing diagnosis for someone with a cystocele. Urinary retention involves difficulty emptying the bladder, which isn’t the typical pattern here. Overflow incontinence involves continuous dribbling from chronic retention, and functional incontinence arises from an inability to reach the toilet, not from a structural prolapse.

A cystocele weakens the support of the bladder and urethra. When intra-abdominal pressure rises—for example, with coughing, sneezing, or lifting—the bladder neck and urethra can’t stay properly supported, leading to urine leakage. This leakage that occurs with physical effort is called stress urinary incontinence, making it the most likely nursing diagnosis for someone with a cystocele. Urinary retention involves difficulty emptying the bladder, which isn’t the typical pattern here. Overflow incontinence involves continuous dribbling from chronic retention, and functional incontinence arises from an inability to reach the toilet, not from a structural prolapse.