Urinary Catheter Safety
Urinary Catheter SafetyOften, patients have to have a urinary catheter inserted into their bladder during a hospital stay. But thatcatheter can be a setup for a urinary-tract infection.“You have a catheter that goes into a body space; that’s abnormal, and bacteria can crawl along thatcatheter and can get into the bladder and then set up an infection.”A urinary-tract infection doesn’t always produce obvious symptoms, but if you have an unexplained fever orexperience burning or pain in the lower abdomen speak to somebody on your healthcare team about thepossibility of a catheter associated infection.Guidelines to lower your risk include before anyone touches your catheter, ask that they wash or sanitize theirhands.Also make sure that the catheter is secured to your leg. And if you’re lying in a bed, the urine bag must beplaced below the bladder but not on the floor.“Don’t let the bag go above the bladder and all the urine that’s in the bag now flows back into yourbladder. You want to keep it a one-way system.”“If you have a catheter in your bladder, a urinary catheter, it’s easy for people to forget that it’s therebecause it’s under the covers. You, however, can remind people every day, “By the way, I still have aurinary catheter, do I still need it?” And as soon as they can, they can take it out for you so that yourrisk of a urinary infection can be lowered.”“Never leave the catheter in an extra hour. Take it out as soon as possible.”So as important a catheter may be for your treatment in the hospital. It’s just as important it not be a cause ofan infection while you are there.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.INT51079C EN UrinaryCatheterSafety.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 1
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