Caring for a Person with an Indwelling Urinary Catheter
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Indwelling urinary catheters are connected by a length of tubing to a urine drainage bag
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The tubing is secured loosely to the person’s body near the insertion site using a catheter strap or adhesive tape
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Securing the tubing to the person’s body prevents the catheter from being accidentally pulled out during repositioning
Providing Catheter Care
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Providing good catheter care is important because the presence of the catheter in the urethra provides a pathway for bacteria to travel up from the perineum into the bladder
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Having a catheter eliminates the “flushing” action of normal urination, which helps to remove bacteria from the urinary tract naturally.
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Bacteria can be introduced into the body both when a catheter is inserted and after it is in place, urinary tract infections (UTIs) in catheterized people are one of the most common nosocomial infections.
Contraindications:
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Known or suspected urethral injury in case of pelvic fracture (absolute)
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Signs to suspect urethral injury (blood at meatus , gross hematuria ,perineal hematoma ,high riding prostate gland)
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Urethral stricture, recent urethral or bladder surgery (relative) Combative or uncooperative patient (relative)
Complications:
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Trauma to urethra & bladder
- Paraphimosis
- Undesirable catheter retention