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Has your physician or urologist recommended that you wear a condom catheter? This device can expand your freedom and comfort while convalescing and is an important part of your overall treatment process. Whether you’re recovering from a surgery or just struggling with mobility issues, your condom catheter can reduce the chance of accidents while allowing you to feel more confident in your self-care.
Your medical care team (your physician, surgeon, nurses, or specialist) may provide you with a care sheet before returning home. Depending on your unique condition and personal sensitivity level, your care team may want you to follow unique care instructions. If so, you should rely on the customized information your team provides you with first.
For quick tips and information on daily condom catheter care, use the information contained in this article to make daily maintenance and care easy, efficient, and manageable. In this article you’ll learn how to keep your catheter clean, how to apply it, how to remove it, and how to troubleshoot the most common condom catheter problems.
Need additional advice, or have questions about your condom catheter? Contact your local pharmacy or care team for assistance.
Before You Purchase
The most important step to take in condom catheter care is to determine and use the correct size with the correct supplies in the first place. Using a catheter in the wrong size increases the risk for accidents, infections, and even device failure, so always start by having your medical care team fit you with a device before you purchase.
Gather the following supplies to keep at home; they’ll make your experience with your condom catheter much easier.
- Clean towels
- A wash basin
- Soft face cloths
- Baby wipes
- Velcro or catheter tape
- Your device
- A small trash can
If you’re worried about accidents, it may be easier to apply your device while sitting on a shower chair in the bathroom or on the toilet itself. If you are immobile, simply place a fluffy towel underneath you to catch any spills when removing your catheter.
How to Apply Your Catheter
For proper condom catheter care, only apply a catheter if it is new and sterile in the package. Most kits will come with the condom catheter itself–the urine bag is sold separately. Both items will be sealed and kept free of germs; leave them unsealed until you need to use them.
Begin by washing your hands and your penis well with warm water and a mild soap. Avoid getting soap under the foreskin or inside the the glans as it may cause irritation. Rinse well and pat dry.
Next, open your condom catheter parts and lay them out on a clean towel or surface beside you. Holding the penis straight, slide the condom catheter down over it just as you would apply a condom.
There will be excess catheter material at the end of the penis; leave this intact. This prevents accidents and reduces the chances of your condom catheter tearing or ripping from high output. It also prevents UTIs from restricted flow.
Slide the sheath holder (it looks like a small ring) that came with your condom catheter down over the shaft of your penis and secure it over the condom catheter at the base.
Size Notes
The base of the condom catheter and the sheath holder should come to just a ½-inch to 1 inch away from the base of your penis. However, sizes are often inexact; it should sit snugly against the skin as close to the base as possible without pulling, tugging, or cutting off circulation.
If the condom catheter hurts, pinches, stings, or reduces circulation to the penis, or if it slides off easily with little to no manipulation, remove it. Contact your care team–you may need a different size.
Attaching the Catheter to Your Urine Bag
Grasp the tube at the end of your condom catheter carefully in one hand. Pick up the urine bag with the other. Carefully attach the hose in your condom catheter to the tubing on the urine bag; it should snap or screw into place. A gentle tug shouldn’t separate them; if it does, it isn’t fully attached.
Do a final inspection to ensure that neither the condom catheter itself or the tubing is kinked or twisted; if it is, undo the kink and straighten it out. Then, move on to the next step.
Securing Your Urine Bag
A part of proper condom catheter care is making sure that the urine bag is in the correct place. If you’re bedridden, the catheter bag should rest somewhere where it won’t be at risk of punctures or pressure. Most patients find it easiest to tape it to a bed rail, or if you’re using a hospital bed, attach it to the provided catheter bag hook. For home beds, secure it carefully to the bed frame or a small side table with either tape, a fabric hook, or some other form of attachment that won’t interfere with drainage.
Important: the urine bag must sit lower than the patient’s body (specifically the bladder) at all times. Never store a urine bag above the patient on a table or hospital tray; this can cause damaging backflow and blockages.
If you’re mobile in any way, it is easier to use a catheter leg strap to secure your urine bag instead. Straps come in most kits; use them to secure the urine bag around your calf or lower thigh.
Remember the importance of gravity in catheter use. The tube should be slack, flowing downward. Never upward or taught; if it’s too taught, it will pull and tug when you move. Conversely, if there is too much slack, it may impede flow. Aim for a balance between the two that allows for freedom of movement.
If you use mobility devices, you can attach the bag to the device itself. Just be sure that it’s safe and free from wheels and any parts that might pinch or break the bag.
Follow these condom catheter care tips to ensure proper use. Your new condom catheter may seem unwieldy at first, or even slightly uncomfortable. Over time, you will adjust to how it feels and it will become less of a distraction throughout the day and night. If you experience any burning, stinging, inability to urinate, broken skin, rashes, or any other uncomfortable related symptom, speak with your care team for a resolution.