Foley Irrigation

I have irrigated urinary catheters by inserting an iv cannula into the sampling port. For one you don't disconnect and break the (so called) sterile pathway. For two it is quick and easy!

What is the correct procedure in foley irrigation?

I think it depends on the reason you are irrigating. If you have a patient that has recently had an RPP and the physician orders irrigation, you will have th break the seal and irrigate gently with normal saline. If you have a patient that is a recent TURP - and have CBI going ... then it is just a matter of adjusting the irriation flow.

Are you talking about the entire procedure for irrigation or when irrigation is used? Please be a little more specific.

what is the procedure for irrigating foley catheter

We had this one resident whose orders read to irrigate twice daily with a vinegar solution...he had a suprapubic catheter. I would disconnect the catheter from the bedside drainage bag and clean it with alcohol, then slowly inject 20 cc of the vinegar solution, then pinch the catheter shut with my fingers so it wouldn't flow back out and make a mess...then would reconnect it to the BSDB. I always wore gloves also. Usually after reconnecting, I would see the solution run back through the clear tubing...usually it was clear but if bloody or any other color, I made sure to document.

Hope this helps!

Blessings, Michelle

Probably there is more than one correct answer, I would go with what my hospital or agency policy is - or what the MD ordered. In our hospital, it's 30cc NS, push it through the foley and then pull the same quantity back out. Sometimes you withdraw clots and mucus that can clog up the foley. Then you document what you did and what the fluid looked like that you withdrew. If the foley isn't draining, continue to flush and withdraw.

I have irrigated urinary catheters by inserting an iv cannula into the sampling port. For one you don't disconnect and break the (so called) sterile pathway. For two it is quick and easy!

The correct procedure does, unfortunately, involve breaking the pathway. The sampling port is not intended for irrigating the catheter.