A urinary catheter is any tube system placed in the body to drain and collect urine from the bladder.

Catheter - urine; Foley catheter; Indwelling catheter; Suprapubic catheters

Urinary catheters are used to drain the bladder. Your health care provider may recommend a catheter for short-term or long-term use because you have or had:

• Urinary incontinence (leakage of urine or the inability to control when you urinate)
• Urinary retention (being unable to empty the bladder when you need to)
• Surgery that made a catheter necessary, such as prostate or gynecological surgery
• Other medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, or dementia

Catheters come in many sizes, materials (latex, silicone, Teflon), and types (Foley, straight, coude tip). A Foley catheter, for example, is a soft, plastic or rubber tube that is inserted into the bladder to drain the urine.

In general, the smallest possible catheter will be used. Some people may need larger catheters to control urine leakage around the catheter or if the urine is thick and bloody or contains large amounts of sediment.

There are three main types of catheters:

• < Page
1 2 3
• >

Review Date: 09/03/2010
Reviewed By: Jennifer K. Mannheim, ARNP, Medical Staff, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Seattle Children's Hospital; and Scott Miller, MD, Urologist in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)