Flush Foley's catheter: The most easy way

Abstract

Introduction: Foley catheters are used for monitoring urine output in anesthetized patients, comatose patients, incontinent patients, acute urinary retention, paralysed patients, trauma patients, urethral surgeries, ureterectomy, kidney disease, before and after cesarean sections etc. When a Foley catheter becomes clogged, it can cause various complications. For which it is flushed or replaced. Objectives: To find a simple way to flush a Foleys catheter. Material and Methods: Patient was explained about the procedure. Place kidney tray on bottom of bed. Maintain aseptic precautions. Place sterile towel under site where urinary catheter and drainage bag attached. Clean catheter and drainage bag connection with Povidone iodine gauze, disconnect and wrap the drainage bag end in a povidone iodine swab and if possible give to the patient to hold. If not keep the end wrapped in clean packaging or gauze. Take 20 ml syringe. Keep the needle aside. Cut the distal end of the cap of the syringe with sterile blade or scissor. Insert the proximal end of cap into the Foleys drainage port. Take 20 ml volume of normal saline in the syringe, fix it to the distal end of cap in drainage port and irrigate the catheter by flushing in and drawing back to evacuate any clot or debris. If resistance is encountered reasonable pressure can be used. Empty each returned syringe directly into the kidney tray. Connect the drainage bag back to Foleys catheter. Results: Readily available cap of the syringe can be used efficiently to flush Foleys catheter. Conclusion: Readily available cap of the syringe is effective, feasible and can be used to flush the Foleys catheter.