Management of Non- Deflating Foley Suprapubic Catheters - A Novel Technique

Abstract

Retained foley suprapubic catheters are a common occurrence in urologic practice. The gold standard is to remove the catheter by minimally invasive methods, with as little discomfort to the patients as possible and without leaving any fragments of latex, which could form a nidus for calculus formation. The procedure described uses a 10 ml syringe and needle passed through the lumen of the catheter to puncture the inner surface of the catheter balloon and thus deflate it. Because the catheter balloon does not burst in this procedure there is no risk of balloon fragmentation or subsequent stone formation. The technique is very simple, does not need any expensive equipment like ultrasound machine or ureteric stents. It causes the patients little or no discomfort and has been found to be effective in most cases.


Key Words: Non-deflating, foley suprapubic catheter, management


Journal of College of Medicine Vol.9(1) 2004: 36-37