condom catheters

[84RN]

Give me your best tips for getting condom caths to stay put. I work in home health and have a patient that had a foley, but kept pulling it out. The physician said ok to try a condom cath, but after putting it on this morning, the caregiver called to say it already came off.

I made sure the member was dry (difficult because he urinates frequently), and used skin prep before applying the catheter. He has advanced Parkinson's plus dementia and is very active in his bed, so this is going to be a challenge---but I really want to try because he hates the foley so much. When the caregiver told him I was removing the foley this morning, he looked at me and said "God bless you!"

[duskyjewel]

I'll be reading this with keen interest, because I've never found a way to make those @&$% things stay on, either.

[HappyWife77, BSN, RN]

I've have seen them with a spongy like velcro wrap at the base that helps them stay on after the skin - prep and holding it to the skin of the pen is after you unroll the condom.

This worked for a quad patient. Good luck!

[Stcroix, ASN, PhD, RN]

They are an overall lame idea to begin with (but I guess fulfill a niche). Consider any time you get it to stay on a bonus.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

When the caregiver told him I was removing the foley this morning, he looked at me and said "God bless you!"

AWW.. give him a little kiss from me.

Forget the condom cath.. will never work. He is refusing the treatment,, and that's ok. He will continue to pull off the condom cath until the cows come home.Develop a toileting regimen.. use adult briefs as needed.

This is not about condom cath techniques.. this is about solving a problem.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

I'll be reading this with keen interest, because I've never found a way to make those @&$% things stay on, either.

This is where critical thinking skills are needed. Securing the condom cath is not the answer.

Finding another solution to the incontinence ..is.

[Wave Watcher]

You might as well just blow that thing up and make a balloon monkey out of it.

Don't like them, never have. :-) I wanted to be part of the solution but I'm of no use. Sorry. Just letting you know..."I feel ya."

[duskyjewel]

This is where critical thinking skills are needed. Securing the condom cath is not the answer.

Finding another solution to the incontinence ..is.

Critical thinking would mean such a stupid, useless product would never have existed in the first place. However, they do.

As you are so fond of pointing out, I am ONLY a CNA. So if my nurse tells me to apply a condom catheter, then I must do so. And if we don't all want a mess, I have to figure out how to make it stay on.

Thanks for playing.

[river_song]

Make sure that you have the best fitting condom cath possible. Additionally be liberal with the skin prep. I definitely discourage using briefs as they tend to promote break down. You just may have to change the condoms frequently.

The other possible solution for your patient ... Consider a suprapubic tube

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

They are not good for people who are restless or likely to pull at it. Although the idea of a male patient who pulled out a foley catheter makes my eyes water.

- Check size and ensure you have the best fit. Skin prep?

[firstinfamily, RN]

Have you tried a pediatric size condom cath?? Older men tend to have smaller member and when I worked LTC we usually could not find an adult condom cath that worked but a pediatric one did!!! You can pretty much figure with the dementia he is not going to be continent, so trying to retrain his bladder is not going to work. Toileting him every 2-4 hours with briefs in place might. I agree the briefs and incontinence pretty much equal breakdown. Does he have 24 hour care?? I would try as I have suggested, the pediatric condom cath and he most likely will pull it off, go for the briefs and a 2 hours toileting schedule.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I have never found a way to make a condom catheter work. We have switched to Reliafit external catheters now, but I haven't had to use one yet.