Urine Sample from Foley

mcknis · Jan 14, 2009

in case your facility has luer-lock connections, then please don't use a needle to w/d out of a port. saw one of our aides do this and the other staff wondered why the foley kept leaking at the port.

Seishiro · Jan 21, 2009

Okay, I'm glad this topic came up because I found out something interesting recently in one of my clinical rotations. The policy and procedure at this facility now enforces that every time a urine sample needs to be collected from a patient with a foley cath, the foley must be removed. The sample is then collected from freshly voided urine (mid-stream I assume) and then a new foley is then inserted. Their "rationale" was that even if you use the port, contamination is still an issue within the tubing itself.

This makes absolutely no sense to me... and what I believe it boils down to is a lack of good technique.

Seishiro · Jan 21, 2009

P_RN said:
FIRST check your procedure manual. If you don't have one then your facility needs one STAT.
Wash your hands. Put on gloves.
Clamp tubing with a Dravon A clamp
Below the aspiration port for 15 minutes. Swab port with alcohol sponge Use a sterile slip fit or aspiration tip NOT A NEEDLE EVER! Withdraw 10cc. of urine. Put specimen into screw top sterile container and label. Put closed container into zip top plastic bag. Send to lab.

Why can't you just use hemostats?

mcknis · Jan 21, 2009

Seishiro said:
Okay, I'm glad this topic came up because I found out something interesting recently in one of my clinical rotations. The policy and procedure at this facility now enforces that every time a urine sample needs to be collected from a patient with a foley cath, the foley must be removed. The sample is then collected from freshly voided urine (mid-stream I assume) and then a new foley is then inserted. Their "rationale" was that even if you use the port, contamination is still an issue within the tubing itself.
This makes absolutely no sense to me... and what I believe it boils down to is a lack of good technique.

I cant believe this! I am definitely shocked! I think this is a retarded practice and this 'new' practice would cause much more unneeded trauma to the bladder wall and urethral opening!!! WOW, the steps some people would go through and I am sure that this is set up by some admin/indirect staff member...

Seishiro · Jan 21, 2009

I can only imagine what the patients feel about it. This isn't to mention that in order to find another pair of sterile gloves in this facility we had to open another foley kit, which then was useless to us.

rnmi2004 · Jan 21, 2009

Seishiro said:
Okay, I'm glad this topic came up because I found out something interesting recently in one of my clinical rotations. The policy and procedure at this facility now enforces that every time a urine sample needs to be collected from a patient with a foley cath, the foley must be removed. The sample is then collected from freshly voided urine (mid-stream I assume) and then a new foley is then inserted. Their "rationale" was that even if you use the port, contamination is still an issue within the tubing itself.
This makes absolutely no sense to me... and what I believe it boils down to is a lack of good technique.

If the patient is able to produce a urine specimen by voiding, why is there a Foley in place at all?

Seishiro · Jan 21, 2009

rnmi2004 said:
If the patient is able to produce a urine specimen by voiding, why is there a Foley in place at all?

I found a similar post on allnurses.

I may have gotten it backwards, they may collect the specimen but have to replace the foley afterward. Either way, I still think it's a waste of equipment and a poor solution to what seems to be a contamination issue. Not to mention irritating on a whole slew of levels.