Catheters consist of thin tubes that are inserted into a part of the body to inject or drain away fluid, or to keep a passage into an area open. Catheters come in many shapes and sizes. They can provide life-sustaining bodily functions and help doctors diagnose health problems. Medical conditions and specific areas of the body influence the types of catheters used.
Urinary
Urinary catheters help to assist the body by draining urine from the bladder. The doctor may recommend a urinary catheter as either short-term or long-term use for conditions such as urinary incontinence, urinary retention and for people with disorders including multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries or dementia, reports Medline Plus. rnrnSpecific surgeries such as prostate or gynecological surgery, often warrant the use of a urinary catheter. A health care professional inserts the catheter through the urethraâ??the tube that carries the urine out of the bladder to the outside of the body, and advances it into the bladder until urine appears in the catheter. An indwelling catheter remains intact inside the bladder with an inflated balloon and continually drains urine. A health care professional places an intermittent catheter the same way as an indwelling catheter, but it gets removed after the urine has stopped flowing. A condom catheter looks like a condom-type device and men use this type most often. A condom catheter requires an external placement over the penis and it catches urine in a drainage bag.
Cardiac
The doctor uses a long, narrow tube for a procedure called cardiac catheterization and inserts a plastic hollow tube into a blood vessel in an arm or leg; he then advances the catheter through the tube. A special X-ray machine guides the catheter through the blood vessels into an artery. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a doctor uses cardiac catheterization to evaluate and confirm the presence of heart problems, evaluate heart muscle function or determine the need for treatment of heart irregularities.
Intravenous
Procedures Consult explains that a health care professional typically places an intravenous, or IV, catheter within a vein for administration of medications, fluid replacement, administration of blood products and chemotherapy or other treatments; and for the administration of diagnostic substances or intravenous contrast agents. IV catheters look like needles and they have an opening at the end where the tubing attaches. The location of the IV depends on the personâ??s anatomy and any existing health problems. The size and width of the IV catheter depends on the function it will perform.
