What Is A Catheter?

导尿管是一种软的中空管子，通过它进入膀胱排出尿液。导尿管有时是必要的人，因为各种原因，不能以通常的方式排空膀胱，即把尿排入厕所或小便池。

Indwelling catheters are usually required short term for a number of weeks or months when continuous bladder drainage is needed, but occasionally they are required for long-term use.

Catheters are manufactured in a variety of materials, which mean they can be left in place for many weeks.

一旦插入，一个小气球装置就会膨胀，这可以防止导管脱落。在任何情况下，你必须尝试去除导管而不让气球完全泄气。如果你的导尿管有问题，请立即寻求帮助。

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What does a catheter look like?

Male & Female Lower Urinary Tract

The lower urinary tract is the term used to describe the bladder and urethra, whereas the upper urinary tract refers to the kidneys and ureters.

自远古以来，人们一直在进行膀胱导尿管术，以便在膀胱排空失败时排出尿液。膀胱在尿液通过尿道排出体外时充当临时的蓄水池。每天会产生大约1500毫升的尿液，其中含有肾脏从血液中过滤出来的可溶性废物。

Why would someone need a Catheter?

With a limited capacity of 300 – 500 ml, the bladder evacuates its contents intermittently about 6 – 10 times in 24 hours. This cyclical filling and emptying of the bladder demands perfect paradoxical coordination between bladder and urethra; as the bladder relaxes to accommodate the increasing volume of urine so the urethra contracts to prevent leakage and vice versa when the bladder empties.

The control mechanism is masterminded by the network of nerves that pass between bladder and brain via the spinal cord, ensuring the bladder not only evacuates its contents completely at each void but also at a convenient time and in an appropriate place. This normal function of the bladder and urethra, collectively termed the lower urinary tract, is vital to health but can readily be disturbed by disease or injury to any of its structures.

What happens if you don’t empty a Catheter Bag?

Failure to empty can lead to damaging overdistension of the bladder and back pressure on the kidneys. Stagnant urine becomes infected and in a damaged bladder this can readily lead to serious even life-threatening consequences for the patient.

储存失败会带来痛苦和羞辱性的失禁，不仅会导致许多老年人寻求住宿护理，而且还会增加皮肤浸渍和溃疡的风险。在麻醉或昏迷状态下监测无意识患者的排尿量为临床医生提供了有关其状况的重要证据。

在这些情况下，膀胱引流收集尿液成为病人护理的一个重要方面。

The modern catheter consists of a thin, flexible hollow tube made of silicone or of latex which will normally be coated. A wide variety of polymer coatings have been introduced in recent years to reduce friction by use of hydrogels which can provide a hydrophilic slippery surface and antimicrobials such as silver or antibiotics to counter the risk of urinary tract infections.

Understanding different types of Catheter

Two main types of urinary catheter are manufactured either for single-use or for continuous indwelling drainage. The single-use catheter is selected for intermittent catheterisation, passing the catheter through the urethra into the bladder to drain the urine and then it is removed. For those able to undertake the procedure, this has become the recommended way of draining the bladder.

许多人现在进行间歇性自我导尿(ISC)或清洁间歇性自我导尿(CISC)，因为它有时被称为每天例行自我导尿。对于其他人来说，这不是一个合适的程序，留置导管用于持续引流。1937年，Foley博士设计的留置导尿管被一个可以充气和放气的气球保留在膀胱里。短期(少于30天)或长期(超过30天)引流可以维持，但导管末端应连接导管阀(可以打开和关闭)，或连接尿液收集袋，形成所谓的闭式引流，以减少细菌感染的风险。

Urethral catheterisation is the usual route selected when short-term drainage of the bladder is anticipated. Suprapubic catheterisation provides an alternative approach which involves a short operation, often performed under local anaesthetic, to form an artificial track directly into the bladder through the lower abdomen. This is the preferred route for patients requiring long-term drainage of the bladder, avoiding injury to the urethra and enabling the patient to remain sexually active.

Short Term vs Long Term Catheters

Short-term catheter drainage of the bladder is frequently performed for patients undergoing surgical procedures or for those unable to pass urine because of obstruction to the urethra such as men with an enlarged prostate which compresses and closes the urethra. A catheter may be required to introduce therapeutic drugs or to record bladder pressures.

由于导管相关尿路感染的并发症风险，长期的膀胱导管引流术仅被认为是最后的手段。以这种方式治疗的患者形成了一个异质性的群体，包括那些有神经系统疾病，阻止膀胱排空。

This group includes people with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis or stroke, those with intractable urinary incontinence or chronic debilitating illnesses which restrict their mobility and ability to use a commode or toilet and finally, those who are unfit to undergo surgery.

Passage of a urinary catheter to drain and collect urine from the bladder can resolve a wide range of medical problems and hence its judicious application plays a pivotal role in patient management.