Foley Catheter Not Working or Draining? How to Flush a Foley Catheter

If you’re watching this video, then your foley catheter is probably not working or draining.
I’m going to show you how to fix it at home and hopefully, you won't have to make a trip to the emergency room. Let's learn how to flush a foley catheter.

Signs that the catheter is not working are:
1. Your bladder feels really full
2. Urine is leaking around the side of the catheter
3. No urine is draining out the catheter into the bag.

You will need two things - either get them from your doctor's office, ER, or go onto Amazon and pick some up.

#1: 60 ml syringe

#2: Sterile water

Disclaimer: This video is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice. Information obtained from this video should not be taken in lieu of your own medical provider's advice and treatment plan. Please consult directly with a physician or other healthcare professional regarding any diagnosis or treatment plan options. Content provided on this Youtube channel is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional. The statements made about specific products throughout this video are not to diagnose , treat, cure or prevent disease.

[profbell]

Thank you so much Dr. Chan! I have had to learn a lot to assist my dad. He has had a foli for 2-years. My dad is 86 and bedridden with Parkinson’s, diabetes, neuropathy, congestive heart failure, anemia, and rheumatoid arthritis. But, he is in good spirits!

[RollinJourney]

Thank you for the help.I was in pain until I tried this and helped.

[wong]

Hi Doctor Chan, just now l follow your instruction and help me father clear the clog. He is feeling so much relieved now. Thank you so much!!

[angelaashton]

Hi dr chang, it works every time so uv saved me a few trips to A&E England 😊thx

[johngantus]

Well done, Dr. Chan. Clear video of how to do this to assist.

[deenabagwell]

Thank you, very clear easy-to-follow instructions for family members in home setting

[Dinkyjean]

Did as instructed by Urologist, ER & here. Used 60ml suringe & sterile water provided by doctor. Sterile water went in...nothing came out. Docs office has also experienced this with him. We do regular cleaning, changing, flushing, etc. once again we are heading to ER.

[Superdave]

Worked like a charm took a couple of tries but thank you

[craigandersen]

Excellent points . Nurses are the last line of protection of patienta.

[abunice]

Hi doctor I want to know if it safe to use spring waterbottle to flush catheter with ?

[coopula]

Dr. Chan this is semi off topic but no one will answer any of my questions. I was diagnosed with urinary retention they drained almost 2 liters out of me post catheter. I have all the standard test coming up and have had issues with it clogging as well. My underlying question is there any alternatives to wearing a cath if the treatments still don't work. This is no way to live and I am still working so need to have even a shred of hope.

[Uplate]

As a kidney transplant nurse who frequently educates patients sent home with foley catheters, I do have a few constructive criticisms. This video should begin with a discussion of the way Foley caths work as well as causes and signs/symptoms of catheter obstruction. We should not assume patients have this understanding. Secondly, the risk of catheter-associated UTI should be discussed and risk factors such as trauma/traction due to inadequate anchoring of the tubing, inappropriate elevation of the bag causing reflux of urine back into the bladder, and most relevant here - opening the closed system and contaminating the connection. Patients should be told to perform hand hygiene with soap & water and hand sanitizer before beginning the irrigation procedure. Finally, they should be told what to do if the irrigation cannot easily be introduced, what to do if pajn is experienced, and when to seek help from a medical provider. Patient education CAN be oversimplified.

[sparkspark]

I just did something like this. How do you wash out the syringe so you can use it again. Also I was told, don’t put the syringe into the bottle you’ll contaminate the bottle. Pour some out into another clean container. Should that container be cleaned with alcohol first? These seem to be simple questions that NO video I’ve watched yet has dealt with yet. Also, is there any problems hooking up the old bag that you removed from the foley tube. Again, seems this should be dealt with straight away. I felt lucky that mine seemed to clear right away. But it was nerve wracking because my urologist gave me a 90 second tutorial, didn’t deal with any of these questions…that in the moment of course…I didn’t think to ask. Would love some clarification ASAP!!! THANKS!

[migneri]

Thank you, Doctor! This was clear and concise!

[poonamdineshsharma]

I am going to try this method first time at home hope it works

[hunt]

I did as I was instructed, twice. But the catheter bag is still empty. What should I do next?

[muhammadraqeebrafiq]

After removing the urethra, please the patient about bleeding after urination and its solution?

[deleonw]

Dr Chan I have a 3 way Catheter were the main port not flowing anymore after about 30hours. I was able to drain using the 3 port.
I suspect this is a vapor lock issue of the main port. Becuase if it was a block I wouldn't be able to use the 3 port. You have any Ideas? Thanks for the video.

[theheaterguyryan]

How long should it be in doctor my dad is getting lots of infections and blockages ???

[MrJOHNMICHAELVEGA]

Why do you have a video without complete explanations. How to needs to show me how to get the thing apart and flush it properly. You don’t show that on your video !