The urinary catheter can be removed in as little as 1-2 days after kidney stone surgery, while in longer cases, it may be left in place for 1-2 weeks. The early or late removal of the urinary catheter depends mainly on the surgical procedure, the presence or absence of additional injuries and the patient’s recovery. If laser lithotripsy is performed, the stones are small, there is no additional damage, and the urine is clear after the surgery, the urinary catheter can be removed in 1-2 days, which is mainly for patients with acute stones and less serious hydronephrosis; if the kidney stone load is large and percutaneous nephrolithoscopy is required, the urinary catheter can be removed in 5-7 days; if the stones are large and require staged lithotripsy, the urinary catheter cannot be removed in a hurry. In addition, if there is damage to the ureter or renal pelvis during the surgery, the fluid in the kidney is more serious and needs to be drained for a long time, it may take 1-2 weeks to be removed. Removing the ureter too early will cause urine to reflux back to the kidney through the ureter after bladder holding, which is not conducive to the elimination of hydronephrosis and repair of the injury, and may also lead to fever or secondary infection, etc. Therefore, when to remove the urinary catheter after surgery should be decided by professional doctors, and you should not insist on removing the urinary catheter just because you feel discomfort with it after surgery. After the removal of the urinary catheter, the patient should pay attention to the cleanliness of the urethral opening and should drink more water every day to avoid infection. Exercise properly on a daily basis and develop good habits to avoid recurrence.