What is a catheter and what is it used for? A urinary catheter is a thin, flexible, rubber or plastic tube. It drains urine (pee) from your urinary bladder when you can’t pee on your own.

Understanding the Context

They come in different sizes and shapes, so anyone can use them. A catheter is a thin, flexible tube that carries fluids into or out of your body. It can put medicine or nutrients directly into one of your veins, or it can help pee flow out of your bladder. In medicine, a catheter (/ ˈkæθətər / [1] KA-thə-tər) is a thin tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions.

Key Insights

Catheters are medical devices that can be inserted in the body to treat diseases or perform a surgical procedure. There are three main types of catheters: An indwelling catheter is a catheter that sits in the bladder. It may also be known as a Foley catheter. This type can be useful for short and long... A Foley catheter is a tube used to help people urinate when they can't do it on their own.

Final Thoughts

Catheters are used during surgery or when a person can't use a bedpan or is incontinent. What is a catheter? A catheter is a plastic tube with eyelets (drainage holes), which is used to drain urine from the bladder. Catheters can be both permanent (indwelling catheters) and intermittent. Although there are several different catheter types on the market, it is recommended that a closed-system indwelling urinary catheter insertion kit be used because a closed system eliminates a possible entry route for bacteria. Comfort Medical offers reliable, free and discreet home delivery of your catheter and ostomy supplies