Caring for a Patient with a Urinary Catheter at Home: Preventing Infection

A urinary catheter is a thin tube that drains urine into a bag for people who cannot empty their bladder on their own. It may be needed because of an enlarged prostate, neurological illness, recovery after surgery or long-term bed rest. Without proper care, however, it becomes a major risk for urinary tract infection.

Catheter types

How is it changed at home?

Changing an indwelling catheter requires sterile technique and should be done by a nurse, who deflates and removes the old catheter, cleans the area, inserts a new one with sterile lubricant, inflates the balloon with the correct volume and secures the tube to the thigh.

Daily care for the family

• Clean the exit site daily with warm water and soap, front to back.
• Keep the bag below bladder level and off the floor.
• Empty the bag when it is three-quarters full without touching the outlet.
• Make sure the tubing is not kinked or trapped under the patient.
• Unless restricted, drink 1.5–2 litres of fluid a day.

Signs of infection

• Cloudy, dark or foul-smelling urine
• Fever, chills or sudden confusion in older adults
• Pain in the lower abdomen or side
• Leakage around the catheter or no urine at all

If no urine drains for several hours and the lower abdomen swells, the catheter may be blocked: call your nurse promptly.

We insert and change catheters at home across Yalova, with scheduled visits for Bursa, Istanbul and Kocaeli–Gebze.