How to Change a Suprapubic Catheter

A suprapubic catheter is a tube inserted into a woman's bladder to drain urine. The catheter is inserted above the pubic bone, slightly above the level of where pubic hair grows. If you are a nurse, you will probably have to change a suprapubic catheter at some point in your career. If you are a patient and need to learn to change your own suprapubic catheter, your doctor will show you how to remove it and what to do if it gets stuck.

Things You'll Need

• 4 sterile rubber gloves
• Suprapubic silicone catheter
• 2 syringes of 20 ml
• Sterile water
• Saline
• Lubricant
• Chlorhexidine cleaning solution
• Drainage bag

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Instructions

• 1

  Wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap.

• 2

  Lie on your back, preferably on a bed or couch, with the site of insertion exposed as much as possible. You may need to lie with your knees bent and spread out.

• 3

  Open the catheter package and arrange the cleaning solution, two syringes, saline and lubricant on a sterile area.

• 4

  Apply two gloves to each hand, one on top of the other.

• 5

  Clean the area around and inside the catheter site using the chlorhexidine cleaning solution.

• 6

  Use the first syringe to deflate the balloon of the already inserted catheter. You will feel some pressure internally.

• 7

  Remove one pair of gloves, so one sterile pair of gloves remain. Take the new catheter and insert as far as the used catheter was. Wait until some urine is flowing from the catheter to inflate the balloon.

• 8

  With the second sterile syringe, inflate the balloon with 5 to 8 ml of sterile water and attach a drainage bag to the catheter.

• 9

  Clean the insertion area and throw away all soiled medical items.