How to Prevent a Urinary Catheter From Being Pulled Out
- 1). Allow a trained professional, using proper aseptic techniques, to place the urinary catheter in the patient.
- 2). Double-check to make sure the balloon at the catheter tip has been inflated fully with the included syringe of saline. This inflates within the bladder to prevent the catheter from sliding back through the urethra.
- 3). Tape the urine collection tube to the patient using the medical-grade tape, allowing some slack between the end of the urethra and the taping point to decrease stress on the balloon. For females, tape the tube to the patient's leg. For males, tape the tube to the patient's abdomen to decrease stress on the posterior urethra (which can lead to stricture formation).
- 4). Hang the attached urinary collection bag in a safe location lower than the patient's bladder, normally on the side of the patient's bed. Position the bag so that it's not tripped over or kicked off its hanging place accidentally. Also, make sure the urine collection tube does not hang down into any trafficked areas, which could lead to entanglement.
- 5). Use care when you reposition the patient. There should be adequate slack between the urinary collection bag and the patient's urethra to avoid tugging on the taped point or the catheter tip balloon.
