Urinary Elimination Skills Flashcards
What is micturition?
Urination. The process of emptying the bladder.
What is the normal amount adults void in a day?
When does the person feel a need to urinate? (Adults/children)
Adults: 1500-1600 mL/day
Urge to void: 250-300 mL (children 50-100mL)
How long is a urethra in a penis and vagina?
Penis 20 cm
Vagina 4 cm
Explain the process of micturition
- Kidneys remove waste from blood and form urine with nephrons
- Ureters transport urine to bladder in peristaltic waves
- Bladder stores urine until urge to urinate (250-300 ml)
- Stretch receptors in bladder send signal to spinal cord
- Signal travels to pontine micturition centre in brainstem
- Signal sent down to relax internal sphincter and detrusor muscle (person becomes aware of urge)
- Conscious relaxation of external urethral sphincter
Factors influencing urinary elimination
- environmental: privacy
- psychological: anxiety, emotional stress (more or less frequents)
- sociocultural: squatting vs sitting vs standing
- fluid balance: oral intake, alcohol, coffee, caffeine
- surgical/diagnostic procedures: cystoscopy can trauma urethra, retention from general anesthetic
- pathological: CNS inability to suppress urge (dementia, stroke, MS), spinal cord injury
- meds: diuretics
What is a concerning amount of urine output?
less than 30 mL/hr
more than 2500 mL/day
*should be roughly equal to input
What are alterations in urinary elimination?
- Urinary Incontinence
- Urinary Retention
- Urinary Tract Infection
- Urinary Diversions
(Ureterostomy,
Nephrostomy)
What are types of urinary incontinence and common causes of each?
- Transient: has a cause and resolves when the underlying cause is treated
CAUSE: DISAPPEAR (delirium, intake of fluids, stool impaction, atrophic vagina, pharmaceuticals, psychological, excess utine output, abnormal lab values, restricted mobility) - Urgency: urge to void cannot be postponed
CAUSE: CNS disorders, obstructions like enlarged prostate - Stress: from increased inter-abdominal pressure
CAUSES: sneezing, laughing, coughing (more common after giving birth) - Mixed: features of stress and urgency
- Associated w/ chronic retention: aka overflow - bladder never completely empties
CAUSES: prostate enlargement, fecal impaction, poor contractibility of bladder muscles, spinal injury - Functional: inability to get to the toilet
CAUSES: cognitive or physical impairments - Multifactorial: releated to factors inside and outside the urinary tact
CAUSES: environmental, meds, age-related changes, obesity, etc.
What are examples of promoting continence?
- lifestyle modification (cutting back on irritating substances, weight loss)
- pelvic floor exercises
- bladder training (suppression techniques)
- habit retraining and prompted voiding
- intermittent catheterizations
- address constipation and fecal impactions
When should you treat a infection in the urinary tract with antibiotics?
only if UTI is symptomatic to avoid ABX use
What is urinary retention?
causes?
acute?
chronic?
- Marked accumulation of urine in the bladder as a result of inability to empty
- CAUSES: underactive detrusor muscle, urethral obstruction
- ACUTE: childbirth/surgery trauma, med side effect, fecal impaction, surgery/anesthesia
- CHRONIC: enlarged prostate, pelvic organ prolapse, urethral stricture (narrow, surgery, STI), alterations to motor or sensory innervation of bladder
How does urinary retention increase risks of UTI and kidney infections?
Prolonged retention → Stagnation/Stasis → Greater Risk of UTI → Kidney Infections
(stagnation of urine can cause urine to be more alkalized, which is more hospitable to bacteria)
What are signs and symptoms of urinary retention?
- Feelings of pressure & discomfort
- Restlessness, diaphoresis (sweating)
- Distended bladder
- Dullness over suprapubic area when percussing
- Absence of urine output (acute)
- Small frequent voiding or dribbling (chronic retention)
What is one way to determine if a patient has urinary retention?
bladder scanner
uses ultrasound to detect urine volume in bladder
How do you manage urinary retention?
- treat the cause
2. intermittent catheter (I and O)
What are the types of urinary catheters?
- intermittent (I and O, straight catheter) - inserted 5-10 mins or just long enough to empty bladder
- Indwelling (Foley catheter) - retained for longer period of time, use a small balloon that keeps catheter in bladder
What are some indications of intermittent catheter use?
To empty the bladder when the patient cannot themselves
- Bladder distension
- Sterile urine specimen
- Assess post-void residual
- Urethral strictures (I&O every time they need to empty)
- Management for patients with SCI, neuromuscular degeneration, incompetent bladder
What are some indications for indwelling catheter?
continuous drainage of urine from the bladder
SHORT TERM:
-Some surgical procedures (during & after)
- Continuous measurement (ex: monitoring fluid imbalance)
- Bladder irrigation
- Prolonged immobilization d/t trauma
- Acute retention/obstruction
- End-of-life (only if required- if changing linen/briefs are too painful)
CHRONIC:
-Chronic retention
- Pressure injury or wounds around the perineal area
- Intractable incontinence (not easily cured or resolved)
Catheter measurements for pediatrics’s, vaginas, and penis?
Peds: 8-10 french
Vagina: 10-12 french
Penis: 12-16 french