In the article, we will consider how to put a urinary catheter to a woman.
People very often have to get acquainted with a wide arsenal of various medical instruments. And one of them is the urinary catheter for women and men. What is it and why is it used at all?
Main purpose
What is a urinary catheter for women and men? In urology, catheters of various shapes and sizes are used to perform certain measures. For each patient, the device is selected individually. At the exit, such a probe, as a rule, is connected to a drainage bag, that is, directly to a collector designed to collect urine.
The bag is fixed on the patient’s leg so that he can move freely and the collector can be used throughout the day. Larger containers hanging from the bed are used at night.
Indications for the procedure are:
- The need to obtain for analysis of bladder urine.
- The presence of inflammatory diseases of the bladder in women.
- The appearance of acute or chronic urinary retention.
Description
A catheter is a tube designed to create a peculiar course between the internal cavities of the body and the external environment. A tool is used to inject medical solutions, and, in addition, for washing the body, performing surgical procedures.
A urinary catheter for women and men is required to achieve forced organ emptying. For example, catheterization may be required immediately after birth, when the woman in labor for the first time is unable to urinate on her own. Sometimes the procedure is carried out against a background of damage to the bladder. For example, due to trauma, the lumen often closes, and urine is not naturally excreted from the human body. In some situations, the use of female urological catheters is required in the process of conducting an examination to make a diagnosis. Often you need:
- Determination of the amount of urine present in the bladder.
- Obtaining for analysis of a sterile portion of urine.
- Radiography of the urethra and bladder by introducing a contrast component into the organs.
Varieties of Catheters
There are many varieties of urinary catheters today. The type of medical tool chosen directly depends on the particular case, for example:
- A device called the Foley Catheter is applicable for continuous catheterization (when patients are in a coma). It is also suitable for short-term manipulation. Use it to rinse, eliminate blood clots, drain urine, and so on.
- “Nelaton's catheter” is designed for periodic catheterization in situations where the patient cannot independently urinate. Until the invention of the Foley catheter, this device was intended for continuous use.
- A device called the Pezzer's Catheter is well suited to maintain constant catheterization and drainage of urine through a cystostomy. Unfortunately, this tool has quite a few shortcomings; in this connection, they work with it only in the absence of other possibilities.
Which are used more often?
Urinary catheters are currently predominantly elastic. Metal models are rarely used. The fact is that they are less comfortable for the patient and not too convenient to use. Catheters are mandatory fixed after the introduction, the doctor selects the technique for this and is guided by the characteristics of a particular situation.
The difference between female and male models
The difference between a female and a male urological catheter is determined by the anatomical feature of the body. Although the purpose of the devices can be said to be the same, in structure they still differ:
- Male models are designed to enter narrow and curved urethra, so the tube is made thin and long.
- A urinary catheter for women is made with the expectation of a short, wide and straight urethra, so that such an instrument is endowed with the appropriate characteristics, that is, a relatively large diameter, small length and the complete absence of any bends.
Today, urological catheters are presented in most medical stores. Usually, in the description for each such product it is indicated on which gender of the patient this or that instrument is designed. The approximate cost of the product is from nine to two and a half thousand rubles. The price largely depends on the type of catheter, and at the same time on the place of acquisition and material of manufacture.
How is a woman placed a urinary catheter?
Installation Features
In itself, such a procedure is completely uncomplicated, since the female body is very convenient for the introduction of the tube. For example, in a man, in order to be able to get to the bladder, it will be necessary to overcome the genitals. But the ladies urethra is located directly behind the labia.
Let’s take a closer look at how a catheter is placed in a woman’s bladder.
Before the catheterization procedure, the patient should take a shower, wash thoroughly and come to the office for manipulation. In the event that the procedure is carried out to collect urine, then at first the doctor or nurse can try to do without inserting the instrument into the urethra. For this:
- The patient needs to lie on a couch on which a diaper or oilcloth is previously spread.
- Next, the bent legs should be spread apart so that between them it was possible to put the vessel in order to accumulate urine.
- A warm heating pad is placed on the lower abdomen. This helps stimulate reflex urination. For similar purposes, the genitals can be watered with slightly heated water.
Catheterization Steps
How to insert a urinary catheter to a woman, what are the stages of the procedure? In cases where urination could not be provoked, doctors proceed to the catheterization procedure. It includes the following main steps:
- Carrying out the disinfection of the urethra.
- Accurate insertion of the catheter into the urethra at a distance of five to seven centimeters. In this case, the doctor will need to keep the patient's labia divorced.
- Perform urine collection that flows through a tube into a container prepared for this.
- Then, if necessary, the following procedure is performed (that is, the bladder is washed, drugs are administered, etc.).
Each specialist with the appropriate qualifications knows how to insert a catheter into the bladder of a woman.
What are the inconveniences?
Despite the fact that catheterization is much less unpleasant for women than for men, nevertheless manipulation of this kind is quite stressful. Many patients do not experience particular pain or any other physical discomfort, but they absolutely always have to experience obvious psychological inconveniences. A good doctor manages to create a confidential, and at the same time, calm atmosphere in which women feel relaxed. It is very important that the patient is not afraid and not shy, then the procedure will be very easy, painless and fast enough.
In simple situations, catheterization can be performed by a nurse, for example, when it is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. In that case, if the manipulation is performed for medicinal purposes, then an exclusively qualified doctor should work. It is important to make catheterization very carefully, as a sharp or excessively fast movement can damage the urethra, causing an inflammatory process (such as cystitis or urethritis).
Female urinary catheter is one of the achievements of medicine, whose importance is very great, and it is difficult to overestimate. Thanks to this simple device, diseases of the urinary system simply cease to be difficult for people: they are easier to recognize and treat. It will be superfluous to recall patients suffering from severe injuries to the brain or back, when the use of a catheter is one of the main conditions for ensuring proper care for the patient. How to insert a catheter into a woman’s bladder is now clear.
What pathologies require catheterization?
So, catheterization of such an organ as the bladder in women serves as a procedure necessary in some cases during the development of pathologies of this organ. The procedure itself involves the introduction of a catheter in the form of a flexible latex tube, which can also be made of silicone or Teflon. Such a tube is able to pass through the urethra directly to the bladder.
Often the need for the described event in women arises in the postoperative periods against the background of gynecological or diseases. Catheterization is performed to control the amount of urine excreted. In addition, it can contribute to the healing of postoperative wounds.
In some situations, the procedure is required for patients to rinse in case of bleeding, injecting medications, identifying general obstruction, removing urine amid neurological pathologies (paralysis), incontinence, or delay in a number of certain diseases.
With cancer
Bladder cancer, which is often diagnosed in women, often requires a catheter. Usually, such a disease can develop against the background of papillomas. In this case, as a rule, in the urine of patients there is an excessive amount of blood, which is very easily detected in them even with the ordinary naked eye.
Cancer is often diagnosed in smokers and those who work with aniline dyes. Often such a pathology is formed against the background of chronic inflammation of this organ, after irradiation, and in those who often do not urinate on demand. Various sweeteners and a number of medicines also have an effect.
We examined how to place a urinary catheter in a woman. This procedure is very useful, necessary for carrying out in the presence of pathologies of the bladder.