foley catheter

[Kirstie]

If a patient has a foley catheter in long-term and you need to change it; how do you know you are in the bladder? Will urine still come out? I was told to put sterile water in the foley before I pull it in to ensure that I am in the bladder because I will have return of the sterile water I put into the bladder, since the urine will be nil to little. Thanks for your help.

[leslie :-D]

i've catheterized every type of conceivable patient, many w/o any return of urine. there's always urine in the lumen of the catheter if you remove it; and then i always think of a woman's anatomy. if you're in the lady partsl meatus, the catheter is going to go in the cervix up to the uterus. in the urethral meatus, it will go right through the bladder neck into the bladder and you will be able to feel the the bladder wall when the catheter can't go any further. if it's in the uterus, you'll never feel any sort of wall. i've also had to sit patients up in bed and give them fluids to drink, and wait, and wait with the foley still in them. and finally, i've always had GREAT success catheterizing them in a side-lying position with their top let up and flexed. it seems to get a part of the bladder where urine can pool. good luck.

[Mike RGN]

If a patient has a foley catheter in long-term and you need to change it; how do you know you are in the bladder? Will urine still come out? I was told to put sterile water in the foley before I pull it in to ensure that I am in the bladder because I will have return of the sterile water I put into the bladder, since the urine will be nil to little. Thanks for your help.

If you really need to see urine drain, try clamping the catheter before you remove it, to let some urine build up. How long will depend on intake of patient etc

[Kirstie]

If you really need to see urine drain, try clamping the catheter before you remove it, to let some urine build up. How long will depend on intake of patient etc

I was taught you never inflate the balloon unless you see urine come from the catheter to ensure you are in the bladder, right?

[Mike RGN]

I was taught you never inflate the balloon unless you see urine come from the catheter to ensure you are in the bladder, right?

I don,t always get urine to drain esp in recath long term.

I know when I am in the right place but I still inflate slowly and watch the patient face for sign of distress just in case I inflate in the wrong place. Never happened yet but I still am as carefully.