when a male patient pulls foley out..

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What would be an appropriate nursing intervention when a male patient pulls foley out with balloon still inflated and bleeding from the site? Do you insert another foley or just leave it until bleeding stops? what else can be done?

Always makes me want to cross my legs, and I am female!

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Specializes in ICU.

Grab it with your big toe and YANK.

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Put another foley in quick or you may not be able to due to swelling of the uretha.

PS there will be a lot of blood when they do this, it's pretty scary the first time you see it. Expect blood in the urine for a time, not huge clots but visible pink to red color gradually decreasing in color and amount.

still, i'd call a dr or urologist.

good chance pt will pull out again.

find out why he pulled it out, if able.

pain? pruritus? delirium? demented?

then the dr (if amenable) can try and treat the causative symptoms.

if pt has prn order for ibuprofen, i'd try that first, to give that for discomfort and to delay swelling, if able.

i haven't read through this thread, so i apologize if post is repetitive.:)

leslie

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I wasn't a nurse yet, but believe it or not, we once had a confused male pt managed to deflate the balloon first and pull his foley out.

He didn't know what was going on, but I thought it was smart of him... :yeah:

how efficient...and considerate!

he really prevented the nurses from cleaning up a hot mess!

leslie:D

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Just had a pt do this a week ago in middle of the night....twice..pulled out his Foley with balloon intact and also managed to pull out his g-tube, bulb defalted (he did chew on syringe port of g-tube).

Order I received was I/O cath Q4Hrs, then it went to Q6Hrs, then twice a shift, now its is Qshift. Wish we had a bladder scanner to better time the I/O cath to make the best of it.

And yes he bled...alot. Pt was hospice for cancer, was A&Ox2, and was having his pain maintained fairly well which may explain how he could pull the foley out balloon intact.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Shed a tear of pain. That has to hurt.

I kind of think of it like when AHHHHNOLD is pulling the tracking locator out of his nose in Total Recall. Ouch.

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Who needs a syringe? I've seen pts chew on the tube.

Sign that dude up for the contortionist troupe ! LOL :D

And eewwwwww.....:barf01: I don't care if urine is supposed to be sterile... just ain't right !!! :)

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still, i'd call a dr or urologist.

good chance pt will pull out again.

find out why he pulled it out, if able.

pain? pruritus? delirium? demented?

then the dr (if amenable) can try and treat the causative symptoms.

if pt has prn order for ibuprofen, i'd try that first, to give that for discomfort and to delay swelling, if able.

i haven't read through this thread, so i apologize if post is repetitive.:)

leslie

If a pt is having bladder spasms r/t to the foley, a PRN order for B&O suppositories helps, (belladonna and opium)...it relaxes the smooth muscles of the bladder, and the pt sometimes will then quit pulling on the foley and leave it alone.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Shake his hand, because that's an impressive feat. Uh...the clean one.

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I always use Tegaderm for skin tears. The whole idea is to leave the tegaderm on until it comes off by itself. It should only be taken off if there is signs of infection.

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