Foley Catheter Care

A Foley catheter is used to drain urine from the bladder into a collection bag. During surgery, the catheter is inserted into the bladder and secured with a small fluid-filled balloon.

How the Foley Catheter Functions

The Foley catheter is inserted through the urethra and advanced until it reaches the bladder. A hole in the catheter allows urine to flow from the bladder, through the urethra, and into a collection bag.

Patients may require a catheter for a few days after surgery if they are unable to:

• Use a bedpan without discomfort
• Walk to the bathroom

Foley Catheter Care

The nurse will start by washing their hands with soap and water before and after handling the catheter or collection bag. The leg bag should be emptied every two to three hours, while the larger collection bag needs to be emptied every eight hours.

To empty the bag, the nurse will open the clamp on the large bag or remove the stopper from the leg bag and pour the urine into a measuring container. After measuring, the urine will be disposed of in the toilet. The nurse will then clean the drain port with soap and water, replace the stopper on the leg bag or clamp the large bag, as appropriate.

During the day, patients should use the leg bag, and the larger bag should be used at night. When changing the bag, the nurse will start by washing their hands, then empty the old bag and use soap and water to clean the connection between the catheter and the new bag.