What You Need To Know About Urinary Catheters

It may be one of the most useful incontinence supplies you could ever need; however, you would want for it to be recommended for your condition first. It is a device placed in the body to drain and collect urine from the bladder. It is most commonly know as the urinary catheter.

As mentioned, it is an internal devices that drains urine straight from the bladder using a tube. If you are shopping for incontinence supplies and you want a catheter, its alternative names include Suprapubic catheters and Foley catheters.

The use of this device is most of the time recommended as a way to manage urinary incontinence and urinary retention in both men and women. There are different types of catheters and they are created for a variety of reasons.

Urinary catheters may be used to drain the bladder. This is often the last resort because of the possible complication from long term catheter usage. Some complications include bladder stones, blood infections, blood in urine or hematuria, skin breakdown, urethral injury and urinary or kidney infections. Unfortunately, because of many years of catheter use, bladder cancer may also develop.

Health care providers may recommend a catheter as one of the essential incontinence supplies for short-term or long-term use. Long-term use catheters are called indwelling catheters.

When you are asked to purchase one, learn the following distinctions among catheters. Variations are in sizes, materials (latex, silicone, Teflon), and types (Foley catheter, straight catheter, coude tip catheter). For example, a Foley catheter is a soft plastic or rubber tube that is inserted into the bladder to drain the urine.

Most health providers would recommend the smallest possible catheter be used. But, the size greatly depends on a person’s condition. Some need larger catheters to control urine leakage around the catheter or if the urine is thick and bloody or contains large amounts of sediment. The risk is that, the larger the catheter, the more likely for it to damage the urethra.

Like most incontinence supplies there are specific ways to take care of a urinary catheter. The indwelling catheter for examples needs to cleansed with soap and water every day. This should also be done to the urethral area or the area where the catheter exists the body. Also, the device needs to be thoroughly cleaned after all bowel movements to prevent infections.

Source: (ArticlesBase SC #1823191)