Looking for information on foley catheter insertion protocol as to.....
1. Was school protocol for male insertion to insert 1-2 inches past urine flow OR insert to bifurcation (Y), inflate balloon and then gently pull excess catheter back out?
2. Looking for information from experienced RNs as to whether it is best to dc foley the night before discharge from hospital OR the day of? And any info pertaining to one process better than the other?
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
isn't this kind of backwards? the male urethra is much longer than the female, therefore I would tend to go all the way to the bifurcation on the male, to make sure I'm not inflating a balloon in the urethra (which I heard a new grad did to one of my patients in clinicals).....with the female urethra being so short, I don't think it's necessary to go ALL the way to the bifurcation.....just a few inches past the start of urine flow
Oh geee, you're right I didn't even catch that when I wrote that LOL I did write it backwards, no kinda about it!. I am surprised no one else caught that or myself. In school we did like 100 practices on a female and all the ones I have seen or done are females so I wasn't even thinking and was so used to saying, 1-2 inches past the flow of urine.
Anyway, yes, you are right and I will go fix my post thank you for catching that.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
AHem: well I may have painted my comments with a broader brush then I intended.
From what I have read recently, there's a lot of cathing that does not need to be done and in those circumstances
it is being discontinued. To many Doctors have been ordering foley's when it just is not necessary.I am sure you would all agree there are several situations when it is just not necessary.
Absolutely they are sometimes done when they don't need to be and I have seen a few cases where they weren't and probably should have been. But I still don't think it's any more painful for men then it is woman, I think it's equally as bad for both.
You want to allow time to assess voiding and time for swelling to set in, IF it's going to take place.
If you do it right before they go home, and the pt has a problem, they might have to turn right back around and go through the ER...which is the last thing you have the strength to do when you just got home from surgery.
NCLEX says birfucation if male, so you insert until the y. When I normally do it, sometimes I have to go that far with men. But with females you have to do the 2 inches. DC in the morning. A lot of surgeries now take less than a day and day of surgery is highest falls risk. Getting to the bathroom all night will not help, especially if you are on a serious ortho floor where one patient may take more than 30 minutes toileting. You will need them to void within 6 hours of removing the catheter. You do a bladder scan twice to make sure that they do not retain more than 300 before you can let them go home. If a fracture you may have to leave it in longer if the doctor says. Just follow the doctor's orders if given.
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~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN
5,259 Posts
Oh geee, you're right I didn't even catch that when I wrote that LOL I did write it backwards, no kinda about it!. I am surprised no one else caught that or myself. In school we did like 100 practices on a female and all the ones I have seen or done are females so I wasn't even thinking and was so used to saying, 1-2 inches past the flow of urine.
Anyway, yes, you are right and I will go fix my post thank you for catching that.