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If you are asked to do this, it is usually because the nursing staff are having difficulty, which means that you too are likely to have difficulty.
- Tell the patient what you are going to do.
- Ensure that the perineum is well lit.
- Abduct the legs as far as possible.
- Ask an assistant to hold folds of abdominal fat out of the way if necessary.
- Look carefully to distinguish the urethral orifice from the vagina (Fig. 5).
- If in doubt as to the position of the catheter (i.e., if no urine flows), flush and withdraw 50 ml of saline.
Fig. 5 Female catheterization.
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