Catheter beyond comfort measure?

Nurses General Nursing

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Just a stupid curiosity. My friend and I were arguing whether a catheter is classified as a comfort measure or not. My argument was that it could possibly play a role in prolonging life due to bypassing the micturition reflex.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

Can you elaborate please?

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Specializes in Med-surg; OB/Well baby; pulmonology; RTS.

Hmmm....not so sure that it could prolong life but in certain patients it could be considered a comfort measure.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I would consider this a comfort measure since incontinence can break down skin. Not really believing that this would cause prolonged life.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.

I dont think a foley is a comfort measurement to the patient unless its an intervention to urine retention. Foley's for a patient is a health hazard because now you have a portal to which bacteria has open access to the body. I think its a comfort measure to the nursing staff since it helps us better calculate output and avoids messes. But if a patient pulls out a foley think about the trauma the urethra sustained from a ballon with 10 ML of saline.... No i dont think its a comfort measure... BTW good nursing care will help in the prevention of skin breakdown to urine and fecal incontinence

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

My interpretation was that this is in the context of the dying person. In the dying person, a foley catheter is a comfort measure because it prevents urinary retention and skin breakdown from incontinence. I'm not sure I see how it could prolong a person's life though. That was what I was hoping the OP would elaborate on.

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Specializes in CVICU.

I can't think of a reason that having a foley catheter would prolong life in a patient who has already been sick enough to be placed on comfort measures.

If there is, I bet the comfort that it provides in lieu of incontinence and frequent turning/cleaning/wiping outweighs any extra time it provides.

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We don't really classify interventions (as comfort measures or not comfort measures) by whether or not they could conceivably prolong life. The primary purpose of a catheter would be to avoid discomfort from skin breakdown or urinary retention.

Similarly, we give narcotic analgesics to end-stage patients, even though they often reduce myocardial oxygen demand. It's still a comfort measure, because the intent is to increase comfort, not to stave off cardiac arrest for a few hours.

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.
I dont think a foley is a comfort measurement to the patient unless its an intervention to urine retention. Foley's for a patient is a health hazard because now you have a portal to which bacteria has open access to the body. I think its a comfort measure to the nursing staff since it helps us better calculate output and avoids messes. But if a patient pulls out a foley think about the trauma the urethra sustained from a ballon with 10 ML of saline.... No i dont think its a comfort measure... BTW good nursing care will help in the prevention of skin breakdown to urine and fecal incontinence

No extent of "good" nursing care could make me believe that having urine on my bottom constantly and being cleaned by a stranger ever hour is better than a catheter. It's a comfort and dignity measure in my book.

Some people will get breakdown no matter how many times you turn them, clean them, ointment them. When people are dying the body isn't stable, it isn't being nourished, it can't repair and itself like it used to.

Comfort measure yes, prolong life? Maybe if you are waiting to die from a ruptured bladder or sepsis from a bed sore.

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Just a stupid curiosity. My friend and I were arguing whether a catheter is classified as a comfort measure or not. My argument was that it could possibly play a role in prolonging life due to bypassing the micturition reflex.

In certain patients a fc would be a comfort measure. Patients in pain when turned would not be turned to be changed. Patients would not lie in urine soaked linen until someone found out they were wet. Cannot see how a fc would prolong life.

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I dont think a foley is a comfort measurement to the patient unless its an intervention to urine retention. Foley's for a patient is a health hazard because now you have a portal to which bacteria has open access to the body. I think its a comfort measure to the nursing staff since it helps us better calculate output and avoids messes. But if a patient pulls out a foley think about the trauma the urethra sustained from a ballon with 10 ML of saline.... No i dont think its a comfort measure... BTW good nursing care will help in the prevention of skin breakdown to urine and fecal incontinence

Individualize care. If all that turning, buffing, fluffing causes agony for the patient it is nursing care but not necessarily good for that patient.

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Here's my elaboration:

I originally thought that inserting a FC would reduce stress on the patient's body because pressure is never really allowed to build in the bladder. So the micturition process (whether voluntary or involuntary) never has to occur because the urine drains as soon as it comes down from the kidneys and ureters.

looking back, I probably never should have argued something that was not based on any evidence.

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