How does it feel to have a urinary catheter inserted in a woman?

Inserting a urinary catheter is a very common phenomenon in daily life. For example, some surgeries, such as childbirth or gynecological surgeries, require the insertion of a urinary catheter. Generally speaking, the female urethra is relatively short, and there is usually no special feeling when inserting a urinary catheter. The female urethra is relatively wide and will not cause irritation or discomfort. However, when inserting a urinary catheter, you must keep the area around the vulva clean.

What kind of surgery requires a urinary catheter?

1. All surgeries under general anesthesia require the patient to have a urinary catheter inserted before the operation. This is because the anesthesia time will be longer, and if the catheter is not inserted, the bladder may be easily damaged.

2. For surgery requiring lumbar anesthesia, or if the doctor estimates that the surgery will take a long time, the patient will also need to have a urinary catheter inserted. However, if the surgery is performed within half an hour or anesthesia has no effect on the waist, it is not necessary.

3. If the urinary system function is temporarily lost after spinal or other neurological surgery, and the patient is unable to urinate independently or cannot control urination, a catheter will be required.

4. If the surgery is related to the abdomen and will affect bladder urination, a urinary catheter will need to be inserted into the patient before the surgery.

Catheterization precautions

1. Strict attention should be paid to aseptic operation to avoid urinary tract infection.

2. When inserting a urinary catheter into a patient, be gentle to avoid damaging the patient's urethral mucosa. Be careful not to insert the catheter too deep or too shallow, and remember not to pull the catheter out repeatedly.

3. When choosing a catheter for a patient, pay attention to the appropriate thickness to avoid being too thick or too thin.

4. For patients with overfull bladder, they should urinate slowly.

5. When it is necessary to measure the residual urine, instruct the patient to urinate on his own first, and then perform catheterization.

6. When indwelling catheterization, you should regularly check the fixation of the catheter to see if it has fallen off. The catheter needs to be replaced every 5-7 days.

Why do I need a urinary catheter before surgery?

1. Facilitate surgical operation and prevent bladder damage

Typically, pelvic and lower abdominal surgeries require that the patient be catheterized in advance because the bladder may be full during the procedure. When the bladder is full, the surgical field of view will be blocked, affecting the progress of the operation and may even cause bladder damage.

2. Prevent urine retention

Some larger surgeries take a long time to complete, and the patient is under general anesthesia and cannot urinate on their own. Failure to insert a catheter may result in the patient's bladder rupturing during the procedure.

3. Prevent urine from contaminating the operating table

During the operation, the effect of anesthetics will relax the bladder muscles, causing urine to flow out of the bladder involuntarily, which can easily contaminate the operating table.