Editing Nursing Skills and Procedures – LPN Flashcards (section)

== Urinary Catheterization and Elimination ==

;When is the balloon of an indwelling catheter inflated?
:Only after urine returns, confirming the catheter is in the bladder. Inflating in the urethra causes trauma and can rupture it. Inflate with the prefilled sterile water syringe, never with saline.

;How far is a catheter inserted for a female and for a male client?
:About 2 to 3 inches in a female client and about 7 to 9 inches in a male client, or until urine returns. Then advance another 1 to 2 inches in the female, or to the catheter bifurcation in the male, before inflating.

;What is done if resistance is met during catheter insertion?
:Stop, do not force, and notify the registered nurse or provider. Forcing risks creating a false passage in the urethra.

;What must be done after catheterizing an uncircumcised male client?
:Reduce the foreskin back over the glans. Leaving it retracted can cause paraphimosis, a swelling emergency.

;List four elements of routine indwelling catheter maintenance.
:Keep the drainage bag below bladder level and off the floor, keep the closed system intact and the tubing free of kinks and dependent loops, secure the tubing to prevent traction, and perform perineal care with soap and water daily and after bowel movements.

;Where is a urine specimen obtained from a client with an indwelling catheter?
:From the needleless sampling port after disinfecting it, using a sterile syringe, with the tubing briefly clamped below the port. Never from the drainage bag and never by disconnecting the tubing.