Is catheterization effective for urinary retention in prostatic hyperplasia?

The infection rate after indwelling catheterization is very high. Foreign countries advocate self-catheterization, that is, no indwelling catheter, but catheterization every 3 to 4 hours. The catheter is kept clean and does not require special disinfection. The catheterization is performed by the patient's family or the patient himself. At the beginning, it can be performed under the guidance of a doctor. When you are familiar with the anatomy of the urethra, you can do it yourself. Compared with indwelling catheterization, this kind of self-catheterization has the following advantages:

(1) Significantly reduced the incidence of urinary tract infections.

(2) The patient does not need to carry a urine bag and does not experience the discomfort of indwelling catheterization.

(3) Does not affect sexual life.

Patients with prostatic hyperplasia who have acute urinary retention should first undergo catheterization if conservative treatment is ineffective. If necessary, indwelling catheterization should be performed. Generally, catheterization is performed by medical personnel, but if the patient has frequent urinary retention and has not undergone cystostomy, it can also be performed by family members:

(1) If continuous drainage is required, the catheter can be fixed with butterfly tape or a balloon catheter can be used. If a balloon catheter is used, 10 to 20 ml of air or sterile water should be injected into the balloon.

(2) When the amount of urine in the bladder exceeds 1000 ml, urination should be done in several times rather than all at once to avoid collapse or bleeding.

(3) The patient lies flat on his back and the urethral opening and perineum are routinely disinfected with iodine.

(4) Choose a catheter of appropriate thickness, apply lubricant, and slowly insert it through the urethra. Hold the penis with your left hand to expose the urethral opening, and hold the catheter end 3 to 5 cm away with your right hand to gently insert the catheter into the bladder.

(5) If there is difficulty in passing through the membranous or prostatic urethra, you can use your fingers to gently lift the end of the catheter in the perineum or rectum to guide it into the posterior urethra and bladder.