Short-term urinary catheter
A catheter may be used for a short time to:
- drain the bladder immediately before or after an operation
- drain the bladder while a woman is giving birth
- monitor urine output when someone is unconscious and in intensive care
- clear the bladder of any blood clots and debris following injury to the bladder
Long-term urinary catheter
A catheter may be used for a long time:
- when there is an obstruction in the urinary tract (such as a bladder stone or, in men, a swollen prostate gland) and surgery or medication cannot be used to remove the obstruction immediately
- when someone is confined to bed and too weak to go to the toilet in the normal way
- as a treatment for urinary incontinence if all other types of treatment have failed
Permanent urinary catheter
A catheter may be used permanently if someone has:
- a condition that affects the nervous system, such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis, where they cannot control the muscles and nerves of the bladder
- serious trauma to the spine, pelvis or bladder, which means they cannot control their bladder in the normal way
Other uses
In some cases, a catheter may be used for reasons other than removing urine from the bladder due to a problem with the urinary tract.
For example, a urinary catheter is occasionally used to obtain a clean urine sample to test for bacterial infections. A clean urine sample is one that has not been contaminated by bacteria from your hands or genitals.
A catheter can also be used to deliver medication directly into the bladder. For example, chemotherapy medications can be placed into the bladder through a catheter to treat bladder cancer.
