Urinary catheterization is a medical procedure used to drain and collect urine from the bladder.
A thin flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into the bladder, usually along the urethra.
The catheter usually remains in the bladder, allowing urine to flow through it and into a drainage bag.
A urinary catheter can be used on a short- or long-term basis.
Short-term catheterization may be needed to remove urine from the bladder for a short period of time if there is something stopping you emptying your bladder in the normal way.
For example, if the bladder cannot empty due to an obstruction (blockage).
If the urethra has become blocked, it may be due to scarring (stricture), prostate enlargement (benign or malignant) or, rarely, a bladder stone. A catheter will be fitted until the underlying condition can be confirmed and treated.
Short-term catheterization may also be used in preparation for some types of surgery where decompression (expansion) of the bladder is useful.
Other operations where a long period of recovery is anticipated may also involve fitting a catheter so that the urine output of someone who is unconscious or recovering from surgery can be monitored.
A urinary catheter may be needed on a long time basis if there is an obstruction in the urinary tract, for example a swollen prostate gland (in men).
Long-term catheterization is also sometimes used when a person is confined to bed and is too weak to go to the toilet in the normal way.
Another reason why long-term catheterization may be used is to remove urine from the bladder if a person is unable to control their bladder either due to nerve damage (neuropathic bladder), or bladder weakness that does not respond to other treatments.
In some cases, catheters are used for reasons other than removing urine from the bladder due to a problem with the urinary tract.
For example, a urinary catheter can be used to obtain a clean urine sample to test for bacterial infections. A clean urine sample is a sample that has not been contaminated by bacteria from your hands or genitals.
A catheter can also be used to deliver medication directly into the bladder. .
Risks
The main disadvantage of using a urinary catheter is that it can sometimes allow bacteria to enter the body.
This can cause an infection (UTI – urinary tract infection) in the urethra, bladder or (less commonly) kidneys.
Because of the relatively high risk of infection, a urinary catheter should only be used when there is no alternative method of emptying the bladder.
Medical Diagnostic Ultrasound is a very safe, painless, with NO radiation scan to diagnose bladder pathology.
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