Urinary catheters

A urinary catheter is a tube placed in the body to drain and collect urine from the bladder.

Information

Urinary catheters are used to drain the bladder. Your health care provider may recommend that you use a catheter if you have:

• Urinary incontinence (leaking urine or being unable to control when you urinate)
• Urinary retention (being unable to empty your bladder when you need to)
• Surgery on the prostate or genitals
• Other medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis , spinal cord injury, or dementia

  Multiple sclerosis

  Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article

  Dementia

  Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. It affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior.

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article

Catheters come in many sizes, materials (latex, silicone, Teflon™), and types (Foley, straight, coude tip). A Foley catheter, for example, is a soft, plastic or rubber tube that is inserted into the bladder to drain the urine.

Your provider will use the smallest possible catheter most of the time.

There are three main types of catheters:

• Indwelling catheter
• Condom catheter
• Intermittent self-catheter

INDWELLING URETHRAL CATHETERS

An indwelling urinary catheter is one that is left in the bladder. You may use an indwelling catheter for a short time or a long time.

An indwelling catheter collects urine by attaching to a drainage bag. The bag has a valve that can be opened to allow urine to flow out.

An indwelling catheter may be inserted into the bladder in two ways:

• Most often, the catheter is inserted through the urethra. This is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body.
• Sometimes, the provider will insert a catheter into your bladder through a small hole in your belly. This is done at a hospital or provider's office.

An indwelling catheter has a small balloon inflated on the end of it. This prevents the catheter from sliding out of your body. When the catheter needs to be removed, the balloon is deflated.

CONDOM CATHETERS

Condom catheters can be used by men with incontinence. There is no tube placed inside the penis. Instead, a condom-like device is placed over the penis. A tube leads from this device to a drainage bag. The condom catheter must be changed every day.

INTERMITTENT CATHETERS

You would use an intermittent catheter when you only need to use a catheter sometimes or you do not want to wear a bag. You or your caregiver will insert the catheter to drain the bladder and then remove it. This can be done only once or several times a day. The frequency will depend on the reason you need to use this method.

DRAINAGE BAGS

A catheter is most often attached to a drainage bag. 

Keep the drainage bag lower than your bladder so that urine does not flow back up into your bladder. Empty the drainage device when it is about half full and at bedtime. Always wash your hands with soap and water before emptying the bag.

HOW TO CARE FOR A CATHETER

To care for an indwelling catheter, clean the area where the catheter exits your body and the catheter itself with soap and water every day. Also clean the area after every bowel movement to prevent infection.

If you have a suprapubic catheter, clean the opening in your belly and the tube with soap and water every day. Then cover it with dry gauze.

Drink plenty of fluids to help prevent infections. Ask your provider how much you should drink.

Wash your hands before and after handling the drainage device. DO NOT allow the outlet valve to touch anything. If the outlet gets dirty, clean it with soap and water.

Sometimes urine can leak around the catheter. This may be caused by:

• Catheter that is blocked or that has a kink in it
• Catheter that is too small
• Bladder spasms

  Spasms

  Muscle cramps are when a muscle gets tight (contracts) without you trying to tighten it, and it does not relax. Cramps may involve all or part of on...

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article
• Constipation

  Constipation

  Constipation in infants and children occurs when they have hard stools or have problems passing stools.  A child may have pain while passing stools o...

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article
• The wrong balloon size
• Urinary tract infections

  Urinary tract infections

  A urinary tract infection, or UTI, is an infection of the urinary tract. The infection can occur at different points in the urinary tract, including...

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS

Complications of catheter use include:

• Allergy or sensitivity to latex
• Bladder stones

  Bladder stones

  Bladder stones are hard buildups of minerals. These form in the urinary bladder.

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article
• Blood infections ( septicemia )

  Septicemia

  Septicemia is bacteria in the blood (bacteremia) that often occurs with severe infections. Also called sepsis, septicemia is a serious, life-threate...

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article
• Blood in the urine (hematuria)

  Blood in the urine

  Blood in your urine is called hematuria. The amount may be very small and only detected with urine tests or under a microscope. In other cases, the...

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article
• Kidney damage (usually only with long-term, indwelling catheter use)
• Urethral injury

  Urethral injury

  Traumatic injury of the bladder and urethra involves damage caused by an outside force.

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article
• Urinary tract or kidney infections

Call your health care provider if you have:

• Bladder spasms that do not go away
• Bleeding into or around the catheter
• Fever or chills

  Fever

  Fever is the temporary increase in the body's temperature in response to a disease or illness. A child has a fever when the temperature is at or abov...

   

  Read Article Now Book Mark Article
• Large amounts of urine leaking around the catheter
• Skin sores around a suprapubic catheter
• Stones or sediment in the urinary catheter or drainage bag
• Swelling of the urethra around the catheter
• Urine with a strong smell, or that is thick or cloudy
• Very little or no urine draining from the catheter and you are drinking enough fluids

If the catheter becomes clogged, painful, or infected, it will need to be replaced right away.