Foley catheter insertion (male and female)

Indications
By inserting a Foley catheter, you are gaining access to the bladder and its contents. Thus enabling you to:
 drain bladder contents,
decompress the bladder,
 obtain a specimen,
and introduce a passage into the GU tract.

This will allow you to treat urinary retention, and bladder outlet obstruction.

Urinary output is also a sensitive indicator of volume status and renal perfusion (and thus tissue perfusion also).

In the emergency department, catheters can be used to aid in the diagnosis of GU bleeding.

In some cases, as in urethral stricture or prostatic hypertrophy, insertion will be difficult and early consultation with urology is essential.

Contraindications
Foley catheters are contraindicated in the presence of urethral trauma.
 Urethral injuries may occur in patients with multisystem injuries and pelvic factures, as well as straddle impacts. If this is suspected, one must perform a genital and rectal exam first. If one finds blood at the meatus of the urethra, a scrotal hematoma, a pelvic fracture, or a high riding prostate then a high suspicion of urethral tear is present. One must then perform retrograde urethrography (injecting 20 cc of contrast into the urethra).