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.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
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.
Why would the first example be appropriate, but the second would not?
Specializes in Psych, LTC/SNF, Rehab, Corrections.
You don't have to get anything erect to put a condom cath on. Even if it is small and flaccid.
You've just got to have deft fingers:
1. Grap it, pull it up and grip it. 2. Pull the skin down while grasping. 3. Place the condom on the head while grasping AND roll down. It's a simultaneous motion. Once I grasp it, I don't move my gripping hand.
Thanks to 2 decades of flute playing and very long fingers, my fingers are quite nimble.
A mother of one of our pt's suggested that we 'play with him' to get the cath on. According to my coworkers, the man's sister gives him a 'job' before she does it. That's just icky and weird, I don't care what anyone says. Anyway, when she suggested it to us (the nurse manager, RN and LPNs on the floor), we all just looked at her. I understand the rationale, yes. I don't consider it inappropriate because of that.
I do think it just unnecessary becuase you can get a condom cath on a small, flaccid member even.
First time that I had to put one on him she's all, "They oughta teach the aides how to put them on."
The aides know how to put on a condom cath. They just don't want to touch that particular pt. I understood why when I attempted to place one on him.
I grab it and pull it while rolling the skin down - okay, it was something like a 'jerking' motion - and he starts moaning. Erections will happen but this guy had his eyes closed and all. Reminiscing about brother/sister bonding moments, I'm sure.
"Ohhh...."
I paused, looked at him with a furrowed brow as if to say, "Really, dude? Your damned mama is in the room..."
Oh, no. She didn't leave. She pretended to fold clothes while staring intently at what I was doing.
I had a difficult time putting it on because he was making me uncomfortable. So, every time he let out a moan, I'd slightly pinch the head. I think he liked pain, though.
He didn't yelp or wince but he did grow silent. I tried.
It was about a 5 minute ordeal that I tried to make him as uncomfortable as possible.
I bet he wouldn't be moaning if I were a MALE nurse. He refuses the cath, these days. Probably because we don't play with him the way he's grown accustomed.
You don't have to get anything erect to put a condom cath on. Even if it is small and flaccid.
You've just got to have deft fingers:
1. Grap it, pull it up and grip it. 2. Pull the skin down while grasping. 3. Place the condom on the head while grasping AND roll down. It's a simultaneous motion. Once I grasp it, I don't move my gripping hand.
Thanks to 2 decades of flute playing and very long fingers, my fingers are quite nimble.
A mother of one of our pt's suggested that we 'play with him' to get the cath on. According to my coworkers, the man's sister gives him a 'job' before she does it. That's just icky and weird, I don't care what anyone says. Anyway, when she suggested it to us (the nurse manager, RN and LPNs on the floor), we all just looked at her. I understand the rationale, yes. I don't consider it inappropriate because of that.
I do think it just unnecessary becuase you can get a condom cath on a small, flaccid member even.
First time that I had to put one on him she's all, "They oughta teach the aides how to put them on."
The aides know how to put on a condom cath. They just don't want to touch that particular pt. I understood why when I attempted to place one on him.
I grab it and pull it while rolling the skin down - okay, it was something like a 'jerking' motion - and he starts moaning. Erections will happen but this guy had his eyes closed and all. Reminiscing about brother/sister bonding moments, I'm sure.
"Ohhh...."
I paused, looked at him with a furrowed brow as if to say, "Really, dude? Your damned mama is in the room..."
Oh, no. She didn't leave. She pretended to fold clothes while staring intently at what I was doing.
I had a difficult time putting it on because he was making me uncomfortable. So, every time he let out a moan, I'd slightly pinch the head. I think he liked pain, though.
He didn't yelp or wince but he did grow silent. I tried.
It was about a 5 minute ordeal that I tried to make him as uncomfortable as possible.
I bet he wouldn't be moaning if I were a MALE nurse. He refuses the cath, these days. Probably because we don't play with him the way he's grown accustomed.
I can see the point (no pun intended) of the nurse who told you it would be easier to get the condom cath on if the member were erect (I will not go any further with that).
That nurse evidently flunked both anatomy and puberty education. An erection will make it exceedingly hard to get anything in -- or out-- of a male urethra.
Apart form the many other reasons this is a bad idea, it should be pointed out that it isn't even an effective method of keeping a condom catheter to stay on.
Think about it, when the patient becomes flaccid agin, the catheter will just fall off.
Red Kryptonite
2,212 Posts
IME, all of them. I hate condom catheters with a passion.