Catheterization Expiriences

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Nurses Month 2024 | Discounts & Freebies AORN Celebrates Nurses Month

what are your expiriences during catheterization??????????'

i mean, did you expirience any big complications, any special situations, anegdots etc. while:

doing them?

assisting with them?

having them done on yourself?

Just FYI, they're teaching us now not to "pre-test" the balloon -- it can enlarge the tube, making insertion more painful, and it hasn't been shown to decrease the number of balloon failures. One less step in a multi-step procedure!

It's about finding balloons that are already defective.... and they exist :) Not often- but it's always on the grouchiest old bat on the floor, with her nurse daughter and lawyer son in law :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.

After I had my foley taken out when I was in the hospital a couple years ago, it felt like I was "peeing air" whenever I went to the BR...it was extremely painful and have never heard of this, I have no idea what was going on...

We don't do this at my current hospital, but always check a PVR (post-void residual) with a bladder scanner after someone has a foley taken out to make sure they aren't retaining urine, this can happen d/t inflammation from the catheter being in there.

Always, always, always start over with a new catheter if you get it in the wrong spot...I have seen people take it out and use the same one and it makes me furious! And grossed out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.
Some moron ED nurse inflating the balloon on my sphincter, and walking out even though I was wincing and saying "ouch" (SAYING- not yelling, or acting stupid). I had to get it positioned myself- she never did come back to check it. orificewipe. :down:

Ouch!!! :(

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.
Oh wow. My brain is really fried. I thought "anegdots" was an actual term for a complication, and was reading the thread to learn something about this new and interesting issue that I had never heard of.

I need a nap.

Hahaha! Love this:yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My random contribution:

When discontinuing a urinary catheter, do not pull it all out with a big grand yank.

You are not starting a lawnmower.

A new grad did this. With much flourish, she pulled the catheter out and splattered urine onto my face.

She never forgot that mistake. Neither did I lol

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
It's about finding balloons that are already defective.... and they exist :) Not often- but it's always on the grouchiest old bat on the floor, with her nurse daughter and lawyer son in law :D

From what I've been told, the pre-test does find balloons that are defective on first inflation, but it will also result in more "second inflation" ruptures -- balloons that would have been fine if just inflated once, but were weakened the first time around and gave up the ghost with the second inflation. So the benefit of pre-insertion inflation checks (finding the defective units) ends up being negated by the number of post-insertion ruptures.

I'm wondering if there's any evidence-based research based on this yet... anyone feel like doing a search for some? (End of the semester, so I don't feel like searching for ANYthing that I'm not getting graded on! :p)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

Way way way back when...I was a new grad nurse and the previous shift kindly left a foley insertion for me to do knowing that I was asking for the practice. They gave report and went home. I grabbed an experienced aide and trotted down the hall to put in my first catheter "all by myself". Got everything ready and pulled back the sheets and there was female anatomy unlike anything I had ever seen in clinicals, a lab or any textbook.

Found out from the experienced nurse who had to come bail me out that this lady had an extremely prolapsed uterus.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
From what I've been told, the pre-test does find balloons that are defective on first inflation, but it will also result in more "second inflation" ruptures -- balloons that would have been fine if just inflated once, but were weakened the first time around and gave up the ghost with the second inflation. So the benefit of pre-insertion inflation checks (finding the defective units) ends up being negated by the number of post-insertion ruptures.

I'm wondering if there's any evidence-based research based on this yet... anyone feel like doing a search for some? (End of the semester, so I don't feel like searching for ANYthing that I'm not getting graded on! :p)

:D

Well... if it blows on the second inflation it will be sitting in bed in a puddle with the patient :) If the balloon is that flimsy, who wants it?? Some have to last a while.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Way way way back when...I was a new grad nurse and the previous shift kindly left a foley insertion for me to do knowing that I was asking for the practice. They gave report and went home. I grabbed an experienced aide and trotted down the hall to put in my first catheter "all by myself". Got everything ready and pulled back the sheets and there was female anatomy unlike anything I had ever seen in clinicals, a lab or any textbook.

Found out from the experienced nurse who had to come bail me out that this lady had an extremely prolapsed uterus.

Don't ya hate it when someone on a non-OB-GYN floor is found "crowning"? Had a 80+ y/o who had it slide out EVERY time she peed .... we had lube and gloves ready to slide that sucker back up there to keep it from totally shriveling up like a BIG prune. :down:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
My random contribution:

When discontinuing a urinary catheter, do not pull it all out with a big grand yank.

You are not starting a lawnmower.

A new grad did this. With much flourish, she pulled the catheter out and splattered urine onto my face.

She never forgot that mistake. Neither did I lol

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: :rotfl:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I learned that coude is not always the best cath to use on a patient with BPH. Sometimes, a regular foley would do... Always ask the patient what works for them... (I had a SNF pt with dementia at that time so I had to call to verify).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, OB/GYN, Primary Care.

Lets see...

Had a l.o.l. with a indwelling foley c/o feeling like she urgently had to pee. Bladder scanned her and she had 1200cc's in there. Removed the indwelling and somehow it had become clogged and was not draining properly. No sooner did I remove it that she coughed and sprayed urine evvvvvvverywhere! On my arms my aide bed linens etc. Good thing I had just ducked out of the way. So heads up if your cathing (or un-cathing in my case) someone with urinary retention be prepared! Once the flood gates are opened. She said she felt much better after that haha. I got the new one in and it drained >1200ccs

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment