Definition and Types of Catheter
The catheter is a cylindrical, hollow and generally flexible instrument designed for insertion into a body cavity, duct of the body or one of its vessels. The purposes of this operation can be:
- diagnostic (taking blood samples and monitoring organ functions):
- therapeutic (favoring the spontaneous or aspirated drainage of the contents, introducing fluids, nutrients and medicaments):
- surgical (microsurgery or administration of anesthetics, such as in the epidural catheter).
Urinary catheters, for example, are introduced into the bladder through the urethra in order to drain its contents; this maneuver can be useful to overcome the patient's inability to urinate or to empty the bladder and monitor diuresis before surgery. surgical.
Over the years, numerous types of catheters have been developed, in order to satisfy the various needs of use in the best possible way; they differ according to the caliber, the material used and its flexibility, the length and the number of ways. .
Catheterization
In cardiac catheterization, the catheter is usually introduced into the veins or arteries of the arms or legs, then advanced until it reaches the chambers of the heart. Here the catheter provides important data on the functionality and health of the organ.
In angioplasty, a balloon catheter is introduced into a blood vessel in order to eliminate, or at least reduce, the narrowing of the vessel caliber. Once the intervention site is reached, to restore more or less completely the patency of the obstructed vessel. , a pressure-controlled swelling of the balloon is performed.
Associated Risks
Especially in hospitalized patients, the application of a catheter is associated with an increased risk of more or less severe infections. This risk is contained by resorting to the catheter only in the presence of a real need, respecting certain hygiene rules in its insertion (sterile devices, thorough hand washing, etc.) and removing it as soon as the indication for use ceases to exist.
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