What’s a Suprapubic Catheter?
A suprapubic catheter is a hollow flexible tube that is used to drain urine from the bladder. It is inserted into the bladder through a cut in the stomach, a few inches below the navel (belly button). This is done under a local anaesthetic or a light general anaesthetic.
Care Tips
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Clean every morning and night
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Only use baby wipes or soap and water ( no harsh cleaners near the catheter site and no alcohol because it irritates the skin)
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I use gauze around the catheter site every day to keep it clean then remove it at night but use a wipe after removing it.
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I use a precut antimicrobial gauze pad. If I don’t have an antimicrobial gauze I use a regular precut gauze with a small about of neosporin on the gauze around the catheter. This helps with limiting irritation and infections.
Frequency of Changes
- I change mine every 3 weeks.
- I’ve met people that change it anywhere from every other week to every 3-4 months.
- You can use silicone longer than latex but for me the silicone is too ridgid and causes AD.
- Too long between changes will make my bladder bleed when the old catheter is removed.
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Catheter gets discolored at the site entry and inside the bladder when its time for me to change it.
Flushing the Catheter
- I flush the catheter every other day.
- Some need everyday or even multiple times a day.
- I use a 50/50 mix of sterile water and acidic solution.
**Warning Graphic Images Below**
These are pictures of a friends catheter when he had a skin infection and developed a skin ulcer from pressure and irritation. Also pictures of my healthy catheter looks like.
Highly Irritated Catheter site
This is a very irritated catheter site. If yor catheter looks red and irritated like this in any way you should contact your doctor immediately.
My healthy Suprapubic Catheter
This is my healthy suprapubic catheter after having it in for a couple of weeks.
I have very little to zero redness around my catheter.
Pressure ulcer from Irritation
Skin is breaking down around the catheter.
Here’s a few more examples of what my healthy catheter site looks like
I keep the area trimmed well. I shave the area once a week to keep it maintaned.
I use a Manscape 2.0 trimmer and typically trim when it gets to this length.
This is the longest I ever let it go and you can see the hair down in the catheter site.
Extra Information
- Weight or overlapping skin can cause irritation
- Suprapubic catheter does not interfere with sex
- I use a size 24f catheter with a 10ml ballon
- I only use latex catheters (no silicone)
- The brand I use is a Bard catheter
Reach Out For Questions
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
contact@livetoroll.org