FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the difference between a 2-way and a 3-way Foley catheter?
The two-way and three-way Foley catheters have a channel for draining urine and a second channel for inflating a tiny balloon at the end of the catheters. The inflated balloon lodges the foley catheters inside the bladder while the catheters drain urine. However, the three-way Foley catheter has a third channel for irrigating the bladder to get rid of blood and blood clots. You can either intermittently push the irrigant fluid through a large syringe or create a continuous flow with a hanging bag. Since the two-way Foley catheter has one less channel, it can drain a higher urine volume than the three-way Foley. Because of their blood clot removing ability, three-way Foley catheters are better for post-surgery use.
How to flush a 2-way Foley catheter?
Before you begin, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for about 15 seconds before preparing the flush solution. Then, remove a new catheter tip syringe from its package and draw 60 mL of saline solution into the syringe. Tap the outside to remove air bubbles, cap the syringe, and set it aside.
To start the flush, rewash your hands and put on sterile surgical gloves. Then, (1) position towels and a pan beneath the catheter, (2) clean around the catheter’s connection points, (3) disconnect the catheter from the drainage tubing, (4) draw excess urine from the catheter with an empty syringe, (5) flush the catheter with the saline loaded syringe, (6) pull back on the syringe plunger to extract the saline solution, (7) reconnect clean tubing to the catheter. When you finish, urine should easily flow from the catheter.
What is a 2-way catheter used for?
Health professionals and qualified caregivers use two-way urinary catheters to drain urine from people with mobility issues by inserting it into their bladder to allow urine to flow into a collection bag. Also, doctors may recommend their use when a patient has urinary incontinence or urinary retention. As a result, they can save people from discomfort, pain, infection, and life-threatening illness from stagnant urine confined in a full bladder. However, caregivers must only use two-way catheters when indicated because overuse increases the risk of urinary tract infections and other harmful effects. In addition, the two-way catheters prevent bedwetting incidents while draining the bladder by blocking the urethra.
What exactly is a 2-way Foley catheter?
Named after Boston surgeon and inventor Frederick Foley, a two-way Foley catheter is a slender sterile tube that enters the bladder through the urethra to collect urine. There are three types of catheters: indwelling, condom, and intermittent. Two-way Foley catheters are indwelling catheters. These semi-rigid flexible tubes are very proficient in draining urine because the two-channel tubing allows it to operate well inside the bladder. One channel drains the urine, and the other channel stabilizes the catheter.
Two-way Foley catheters range in size from 2.0 to 8.7 millimeters. Over the years, two-way balloon catheter designers have worked hard to duplicate the mechanical and physiological characteristics of the bladder and urethra. Their work has made 2-way Foley catheters compatible with the human elimination system.
What are 2-way Foley catheters made of?
The two primary base materials in two-way Foley catheters are silicone or latex. Latex-based catheters like the Bardia Latex Foley Catheter and the pureGold Counde PTFE-Coated Latex Catheter are very flexible because the material is thermo-sensitive, meaning it gets more flexible as surrounding temperatures rise. Since the two-way latex Foley catheter is cheaper than the silicone version, it is a common choice for long-term catheterization. On the other hand, translucent silicone catheters like Gold Silicone-Coated Foley Catheter give doctors and patients a clear view of the urine passing through the tubing. Silicone is also an excellent alternative for people who have latex allergies. The coatings for 2-way Foley catheters are hydrogel, silicone, or Teflon. The formula for the outer coating determines whether a catheter’s indwelling span is 28 days or three months.
MEDICAL ADVICE DISCLAIMER
The information, including but not limited to text, graphics, images, charts, and any other material on this site, is intended for informational purposes only and does not take the place of medical guidance provided by your physician. No information on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult a qualified medical professional about your condition or circumstances before undertaking a new healthcare regimen.