catheter one

Question 1

There are many types of urinary catheters and selection depends
on patient assessment, which should include

Answer 1

any allergy or

sensitivity, especially to latex catheterisation and length of time in situ

Question 2

. It is

recommended that the use of what size?

Answer 2

the smallest size gauge (measured by
Charriere (Ch) scale or Fench Gauge(Fg) scale) to have
adequate drainage for clear urine be used, so normally a size
12–14 Ch is the preferred size for either male or female patients.

Question 3

The use of larger Ch sizes is

rare in community settings and should be avoided unless

Answer 3

there
is a specific recognised clinical indication, as they can cause
complications such as bypassing and urethral trauma

Question 4

. Suprapubic catheters should be no smaller than

a size

Answer 4

16 due to abdominal pressure on the catheter material.

Question 5

Indications for urethral catheterisation

Answer 5

■ Acute/chronic retention
■ Patients with voiding difficulties due to neurological disorders
■ Need for accurate measurements of urinary output in critically ill patients
■ Perioperative use in selected surgical procedures
■ Irrigate the bladder, i.e. following prostate surgery
■ Bypass an obstruction, i.e. enlarged prostate/stricture
■ Administer drugs directly into bladder, i.e. cytotoxic therapy
■ Carry out bladder function tests
■ Improve comfort for end-of-life care
■ To maintain skin integrity, i.e. 3–4 degree pressure damage/incontinence-associated
dermatitis (IAD)
■ To relieve incontinence only after all other conservative strategies have failed

Question 6

Contraindications for urethral catheterisation

Answer 6

■ Acute prostatitis

■ Suspicion of urethral trauma

Question 7

indications for suprapubic catheterisation

Answer 7

■ Acute/chronic retention not able to be adequately drained by urethral catheter
■ Preferred by patients, i.e. wheelchair users, sexual issues
■ Acute proststitis: obstruction, stricture, abnormal urethral anatomy
■ Pelvic trauma
■ Complications of long-term urethral catheterisation
■ Complex urethral or abdominal surgery
■ Faecally incontinent patients who continually soil their urethral catheter

Question 8

contraindications for suprapubic catheterisation

Answer 8

■ Known or suspected carcinoma of the bladder
■ Absence of easily palpable bladder or ultrasonographically localised distended
urinary bladder
■ Previous lower abdominal surgery
■ Coagulopathy (until corrected)
■ Ascites
■ Prosthetic devices in lower abdomen

Question 9

Latex catheter

Answer 9

Made from natural rubber, latex is flexible but can cause
discomfort due to high-surface friction and vulnerability to
rapid encrustation. It is restricted to short-term use only and
has implications for allergic reactions

Question 10

Silicone catheter

Answer 10

One hundred percent silicone is hypoallergenic and so induces the
least allergic response
large
lumen and reduced tendency to encrustation, which increases
risk of displacement and balloon at greater risk of ‘cuffing’, where
the balloon does not lie fully flat after deflation to the catheter
and causes ridges that can result in trauma and damage

Question 11

PTFE coated

Answer 11

s still latex based but is coated with PTFE.
This coating was developed to protect the urethra/suprapubic ite from uncoated latex and is smoother than latex so helps
prevent encrustation

Question 12

Hydrogel coated

Answer 12

Hydrogel coated catheters are soft, hydrophilic and

biocompatible; they reduce friction and urethral irritations

Question 13

Silver coated

Answer 13

Silver-alloy catheters are either latex or silicon hydrogel
catheters than have a thin layer of silver alloy coated onto the
catheter.

Question 14

Nitrofurazone coated

Answer 14

Antibiotic–impregnated catheters may decrease the frequency

of asymptomatic bacteriuria in short-term catheterisation