Foley Catheter
Indwelling Urinary Catheter · Retention Catheter · Self-Retaining Urethral Catheter · Urinary Catheter · 2-Way Foley · 3-Way Foley · Foley
A soft, flexible tube of latexLAY-teksNatural rubber made from the sap of the rubber tree, used in some gloves, catheters and other medical supplies.Full entry , coated latex or silicone with a small balloon just behind the tip. The outer end splits into a Y: one port drains urine and the other, with a valve, fills the balloon.
On the table
What it does, the lengths it comes in and what experienced techs know about it.
What it’s for
Drains the bladder continuously during and after surgery. Indications in the perioperativepair-ee-OP-er-uh-tivRelating to the whole time around a surgery: before, during and after it.peri- aroundoperative relating to surgeryFull entry setting are urologic surgery, long cases, large fluid volumeFLOO-id VOL-yoomThe amount of fluid in the body, or in one of its spaces such as the blood vessels.Full entry or diureticdy-yoo-RET-ikA drug that makes the kidneys pass more water and salt out of the body as urine.dia- throughur/o urine-etic relating toFull entry , and the need to measure urine output. It is placed after the anesthesia provideran-us-THEE-zhuh pruh-VY-derThe licensed professional who gives anesthesia and watches over the client's breathing and vital functions during a procedure.Full entry says it is safe and before the skin prep, or right after the prep when the patient is in lithotomylih-THOT-uh-meeA position lying on the back with the hips and knees bent and the legs raised and spread apart, often in stirrups.lith/o stone-tomy cutting intoFull entry . It connects to drainage tubing and a collection bag or urine meter.
Lengths and variants
Sized in French (Fr): 14 to 16 Fr usually suits an adult woman, 16 to 18 Fr an adult man, and children need much smaller sizes. Balloons are commonly 5 mL for routine drainage and 30 mL mainly after prostatectomy. A 3-way indwelling urinary catheterin-DWEL-ing YUR-ih-nair-ee KATH-uh-terA tube passed through the urethra into the bladder and left in place to drain urine into a bag.Full entry adds a third lumenLOO-menThe open space inside a tube, such as a blood vessel, the intestine or a catheter.Full entry for bladder irrigationeer-ih-GAY-shunWashing out a wound, body cavity, tube or eye with a steady flow of liquid.Full entry or medication and has a larger balloon (30 or 75 mL) that presses on the bladder neck to control bleeding after prostatePROS-taytA walnut-sized gland below the bladder in males that surrounds the urethra and makes part of the fluid in semen.Full entry surgery. Some Foleys have a temperature sensor in the tip.
What experienced techs know
What techs who reach for it every day know about it.Pro
Through the case
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- During the case
Caution
What not to do with it, and why.Pro
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3 sources
- Fuller JK. Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Chapter 17 (Surgical Skin Preparation and Draping), p. 339-340
- Fuller JK. Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Chapter 24 (Genitourinary Surgery), p. 594
- Association of Surgical Technologists. Surgical Technology for the Surgical Technologist. 4th ed. Chapter 10 (Instrumentation, Equipment, and Supplies), p. 285-286
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