Is this appropriate behaviour when placing a condom catheter?

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Today I was talking to an agency nurse that frequents my ward about how hard it is sometimes to place a condom catheter properly, especially on older gentlemen!!! She said what she sometimes does is explain to the man (if his member is small in length) it can be easier placed if he makes himself slightly erect, and she would leave the room, and then come back and place it back on.

Now, whilst I was studying nursing, I used to work in a sexual health clinic and when we did urethral swabs of the member it was explained to the man it was more effective and less painful if he was erect at the time, and we left the room and allowed for that to occur, and came back. It was needed.

But for a condom catheter on a ward, is this appropriate? I feel it is not. Thank goodness it's a rare occurrence.

I just reviewed the procedure for applying a condom catheter in my "Fundamentals of Nursing" textbook, and nowhere did it refer to providing privacy for the patient to make himself erect.

Wow.

I have never heard of anyone doing this....asking a patient to 'get happy' so that she could put on a condom cath? I swear it sounds like something out of a cheap sex novel.

No, I wouldn't consider this appropriate. She needs to figure out how to put one on without her patient being humiliated.

Frankly, most of the time with those things, they're gonna fall off unless you're using duct tape, chicken wire and a good length of flypaper. Barring that.....it's coming off sooner rather than later. :(

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Applying a Condom Catheter

Male Condom Catheter.wmv - YouTube

In the good old days when we used wash basin, soap, warm water and real washcloth to clean genitals before applying condom catheter, it was not unheard to have a partial erection due to warm water. Older style condom catheters were of a firmer latex material and came in different sizes-used a small rubber belt with plastic button to secure to appropriate size.

You really don't want to cause erection for when member becomes limp, leakage occurs. When they finally came out with softer material and adhesive type strip you could serpatine wrap around then apply catheter, worked much better. Then skin prep came out and the two products together caused the most success with prevention of skin breakdown. The good old poking a hole in blue chux with blue side down, prop a urinal with washcloth roll at end as anchor, fold chux overtop worked great too as short term fix when out of condom caths, needed Urine sample or for men who kept yanking off catheter.

Specializes in High Acuity / Emergency / Trauma.

Right or wrong aside (and for the record I dont think that it would be ok, nor would I ever ask a patient to do this) this technical issue was my first thought. I dont see that technique actually working well even if it was ok to do.

We have a resident who gets a condom catheter on every morning (key word MORNING) and I don't like it when he has an erection because although the cath is easier to put on, when the erection goes down the catheter is no longer tight enough and falls off.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I should clarify, heard=read it on allnurses.

Here is the thread I'm referring to:

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/putting-condom-catheter-520420.html

noyesno........Oh,:rolleyes: I have seen these threads here as I mentioned that I believe these threads are started with the sense of humor of eighth grade boys. I think you know exactly what I was referring to....:cool:

I guess I should preface the statement with......In actual practice of nursing for 34 years and if you include school......36, I have never ever heard nor seen........

Specializes in Cath lab, acute, community.
I use the skin prep swabs... gives a sticky surface to grab onto the condom cath so it won't slip off as easily, protects the delicate skin, using a downward motion sweeps any stray hairs out of the way... which also straightens out the shaft. I've never had a member get erect from this, but it really, really helps get the sucker on and STAY on.

The catheters we have are very sticky, so there isn't any problem with them staying on. Actually, getting them off gently is quite a task! It's just the grip and having to sometimes use a "pincher" motion to hold with one hand, and then put the whole thing on securely. A bigger surface area would just make it easier I would think.

Specializes in Cath lab, acute, community.

Thank you everyone for your response. Now from some responses I can see the ethical/legal issues could come back to bite the nurse, I might mention them to her if given the opportunity when I next see her! I like the saran wrap idea to provide extra leakage protection, the good old days still have some value! Why we ever stopped some things I don't know!

Specializes in Family Medicine.

Forgot to quote.

Specializes in Family Medicine.
noyesno........Oh,:rolleyes: I have seen these threads here as I mentioned that I believe these threads are started with the sense of humor of eighth grade boys. I think you know exactly what I was referring to....:cool:

I guess I should preface the statement with......In actual practice of nursing for 34 years and if you include school......36, I have never ever heard nor seen........

K, good because both this thread and the one I posted freak me out a bit.

As far as I'm concerned, erections and condoms (in combination) have no place in the hospital.

one really, really important thing: always clean under a foreskin, if he has one, but always push it back down over the glans when you're done. if you don't, it will act as a tourniquet, and the glans and foreskin will get massively edematous and can, if ignored for long enough, get necrotic.

it has been my experience that a lot of women have never seen an uncircumsized member, either in professional or personal circumstances, and don't know this. there are still a lot of uncut men out there.

What would be considered a member size that's hard to work with while trying to put on a Texas cath?

Specializes in hospice.
one really, really important thing: always clean under a foreskin, if he has one, but always push it back down over the glans when you're done. if you don't, it will act as a tourniquet, and the glans and foreskin will get massively edematous and can, if ignored for long enough, get necrotic.

it has been my experience that a lot of women have never seen an uncircumsized member, either in professional or personal circumstances, and don't know this. there are still a lot of uncut men out there.

Great post. Circumcision rates are falling in this country, so health care workers better get used to seeing men in their natural state.

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