
Catheters (IV & Urinary Catheters): Purposes & Complications - WebMD
Oct 5, 2025 · 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.
Urinary Catheter: Purpose, Types, Placement & Complications
May 21, 2025 · 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. They …
Catheter - Wikipedia
In medicine, a catheter (/ ˈkæθətər / [1] KA-thə-tər) is a thin tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions. Catheters are medical devices that can be inserted in the body to …
Urinary Catheters: Uses, Types, and Complications - Healthline
Nov 16, 2023 · 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...
When and Why a Urinary Catheter is Used - Verywell Health
Dec 25, 2025 · A Foley catheter is a tube used to help people urinate when they can't do it on their own. Catheters are used during surgery or when a person can't use a bedpan or is incontinent.
All about catheters: Types, how-to, products - Coloplast US
Urinary catheters are used to manage incontinence or urinary retention. Some people require a catheter for a short period of time, while others, like older adults and people with permanent injuries, may …
What is a Urinary Catheter? - Kaiser Permanente
Apr 9, 2025 · Learn what a urinary catheter is and how it works to help empty your bladder when you can’t do it on your own.
Urinary catheters - NHS
A urinary catheter is usually used when people have difficulty peeing (urinating) naturally. It can also be used to empty the bladder before or after surgery and to help perform certain tests.
Urinary catheterization - Harvard Health
Nov 21, 2024 · In urinary catheterization, a catheter (hollow tube) is inserted into the bladder to drain or collect urine. There are two main types of urinary catheterization: indwelling catheterization and …
What is a catheter? - ColoplastCare
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.