Foley catheter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Foley catheters are flexible (usually latex) tubes that are passed through the urethra during urinary catheterization and into the bladder to drain urine. They are retained by means of a balloon at the tip which is inflated with sterile water. The balloons typically come in two different sizes 5 cc and 30 cc.
The relative size of a Foley catheter is described using French units (F). The most common Foley catheters typically range from 10 F - 28 F. 1 F is equivalent to 0.33 mm = .013" = 1/77" of diameter. [1] Thus the size in French units is roughly equal to the circumference of the catheter in millimetres.
Foley catheters come in several sub-types. Coudé (French for elbowed) catheters have a 45° bend at the tip to allow easier passage through an enlarged prostate. Council tip catheters have a small hole at the tip which allows them to be passed over a wire. 3-way catheters are used primarily after bladder, prostate cancer or prostate surgery. They have a third arm or bell that allows an irrigant to pass to the tip of the catheter through a small separate channel into the bladder. This serves to wash away blood and small clots through the primary arm that drains into a collection device. This prevents larger clots, that might plug the catheter, from forming. The second or inflation arm has a small plastic valve that allows for the introduction or removal of sterile water through a very small channel to inflate or deflate the retaining balloon.
They were designed by Dr. Frederick Foley, a surgeon working in Boston, Massachusetts in the 1930s, when he was a medical student.
His original design was adopted by C R Bard of Murray Hill, New Jersey, who manufactured the first prototypes and named them in honour of the surgeon.
