Indwelling Urinary Catheter Care for Adults

An indwelling urinary catheter is a thin tube that is put into your bladder. The tube helps to drain pee (urine) out of your body. The tube goes in through your urethra. Your urethra is where pee comes out of your body. Your pee will come out through the catheter, then it will go into a bag (drainage bag).

Take good care of your catheter so it will work well.

• What are the risks?

  
  

  • Germs may get into your bladder and cause an infection
  • The tube can become blocked
  • Tissue near the catheter may become irritated and may bleed

  
  
  

   

• How to Wear Your Catheter & Drainage Bag

  Supplies needed: 

  • Sticky tape (adhesive tape) or a leg strap
  • Alcohol wipe or soap and water (if you use tape)
  • A clean towel (if you use tape)
  • Large overnight bag
  • Smaller bag (leg bag)

   

  Wearing Your Catheter

  • Attach your catheter to your leg with tape or a leg strap.
  • Make sure the catheter is not pulled tight.
  • If a leg strap gets wet, take it off and put on a dry strap.
  • If you use tape to hold the bag on your leg, use an alcohol wipe or soap and water to wash your skin where the tape made it sticky before. Use a clean towel to pat0dry skin, then use new tape to make the bag stay on your leg.

  Wearing Your Bags
  

  • Overnight Bag:
    • You should have been given a large overnight bag.
    • You may wear the overnight bag in either the day or the night.
    • Always have the overnight bag lower than your bladder. DO NOT let the bag touch the floor.
    • Before you go to sleep, put a clean plastic bag in a wastebasket. Then hang the overnight bag inside the wastebasket.
  • Leg Bag:
    • You should also have a smaller leg bag that fits under your clothes.
    • Wear the leg bag as told by the product maker. This may be above or below the knee, depending on the lengthth of the tubing.
    • Make sure that the leg bag is below the bladder.
    • make sure that the tubing does not have loops or too much tension. 
    • DO NOT wear your leg bag at night.

   

• Caring for Your Skin & Catheter - FEMALE

  

   

  Supplies Needed

  • A clean washcloth.
  • Water and mild soap.
  • A clean towel.

   

   

  

  Caring for Your Skin and Catheter - FEMALE

  • Clean the skin around your catheter every day.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water. Wet a clean washcloth in warm water and mild soap. Clean the skin around your urethra. 
  • Gently spread the folds of skin around your vagina (labia).
  • With the washcloth in your other hand, wipe the inner side of your labia on each side. Wipe from front to back.
  • Shower every day. Do not take baths.
  • Do not use cream, ointment, or lotion on the area where the catheter goes into your body, unless your doctor tells you to.
  • Do not use powders, sprays, or lotions on your genital area.
  • Check your skin around the catheter every day for signs of infection. Check for:
    • Redness, swelling, or pain
    • Fluid or blood
    • Warmth
    • Pus or a bad smell

   

• Caring for Your Skin & Catheter - MALE

  

   

  Supplies Needed

  • A clean washcloth
  • Water and mild soap
  • A clean towel

   

   

  Caring for Your Skin and Catheter - MALE

  • Pull back any skin that covers the end of your penis (foreskin).
  • With the washcloth in your other hand, wipe your penis in small circles. Start wiping at the tip of your penis, then move away from the catheter.
  • Move the foreskin back in place, if needed. With your free hand, hold the catheter close to where it goes into your body.
  • Keep holding the catheter during cleaning so it does not get pulled out.
  • With the washcloth in your other hand, clean the catheter.
  • Only wipe downward on the catheter, toward the drainage bag.
  • Do not wipe upward toward your body. Doing this may push germs into your urethra and cause infection. Use a clean towel to pat-dry the catheter and the skin around it. Make sure to wipe off all soap. Wash your hands with soap and water.

  Other Tips
  

  • Shower every day. Do not take baths.
  • Do not use cream, ointment, or lotion on the area where the catheter goes into your body, unless your doctor tells you to. Do not use powders, sprays, or lotions on your genital area.
  • Check your skin around the catheter every day for signs of infection.
  • Check for:
    • Redness, swelling, or pain
    • Fluid or blood
    • Warmth
    • Pus or a bad smell

• How to Empty the Bag

  Supplies Needed

  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Gauze pad or cotton ball
  • Tape or a leg strap

   

  Emptying the Bag

  1. Pour the urine out of your bag when it is 1/3 to 1/2 full, or at least 2-3 times a day. Do this for your overnight bag and your leg bag.
  2. Wash your hands with soap and water. 
  3. Separate (detach) the bag from your leg.
  4. Hold the bag over the toilet or a clean pail. Keep the bag lower than your hips and bladder. This is so that the urine does not go back into the tbe. 
  5. Open the pour spout. It is at the bottom of the bag. 
  6. Empty the urine into the toilet or pail. Do not let the pour spout touch any surface.
  7. Put rubbing alcohol on a gauze pad or cotton ball.
  8. Use the gauze pad or cotton ball to clean the pour spout.
  9. Close the pour spout.
  10. Attach the bag to your leg with tape or a leg strap.
  11. Wash your hands with soap and water. 

  Follow instructions for cleaning the drainage bag. Instructions can come from the product maker or your doctor. 

• How to Change the Bag

  Replace your bag when it starts to leak, smell bad, or look dirty.

  1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
  2. Separate the dirty bag from your leg.
  3. Pinch the catheter with your fingers so that urine does not spill out.
  4. Separate the catheter tube from the bag tube where these tubes connect (at the connection valve). Do not let the tubes touch any surface.
  5. Clean the end of the catheter tube with an alcohol wipe. Use a different alcohol wipe to clean the end of the bag tube.
  6. Connect the catheter tube to the tube of the clean bag.
  7. Attach the clean bag to your leg with tape or leg strap. Do not make the bag tight on your leg.
  8. Wash your hands with soap and water.

• General Instructions

  
  

  • Never pull on your catheter. Never try to take it out. Doing that can hurt you.
  • Always wash your hands before and after you touch your catheter or bag. Use a mild, fragrance-free soap. If you do not have soap and water, use hand sanitizer.
  • Always make sure there are no twists, bends, or kinks in the catheter tube.
  • Always make sure there are no leaks in the catheter or bag. Drink enough fluid to keep your urine pale yellow.
  • Do not take baths, swim, or use a hot tub.
  • If you are female, wipe from front to back after you have a bowel movement.

• Contact Gulfside Hospice if ...

  

   

  Your catheter gets clogged.
  

  Your catheter leaks.

  You have signs of infection at the catheter site, such as:

  • Redness, swelling, or pain where the catheter goes into your body.
  • Fluid, blood, pus, or a bad smell coming from the area where the catheter goes into your body.
  • Skin feels warm where the catheter goes into your body

   

  You have signs of a bladder infection, such as:

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Urine smells worse than usual
  • Cloudy urine
  • Pain in your belly, legs, lower back, or bladder
  • Vomiting or you feel like vomiting

• Get Help Right Away if ...

  You see blood in the catheter
  Your urine is pink or red
  Your bladder feels full
  Your urine is not draining into the bag
  Your catheter gets pulled out