Using a Leg Bag
Catheter users will quickly become familiar with two devices: the leg bag and the drainage bag. The drainage bag is used when the patient is stationary, such as when sleeping, and is not designed to be portable. The version attached to the leg is designed to allow the patient mobility. The latter requires significant maintenance, though this is very easy once it is learned. These devices also must be properly fixed to the leg to ensure that it does not come free, which can result in injury from tugging on the catheter and contamination due to the system being compromised.
Catheter bags attached to the leg need to be drained frequently. These bags generally have a spigot attached to the bottom from which this task is performed. Remember not to elevate the bag above the hip. This presents the risk of materials running back into the body through the tube. The bag should be kept low, the spigot opened and the urine either collected for a sample or simply emptied out into the toilet and flushed. Most importantly, the patient must remember that this is a sterile system.
Unless one is using a condom catheter, their catheter constitutes a closed system. There should be no place where bacteria can get into the bladder through the system. Keeping this system closed is imperative and one needs to make sure that their bag is attached correctly and that the entire system is always kept clean. When the bag is attached to one’s leg, fullness should never exceed one half of the total capacity. This not only can cause the bag to become too heavy to carry but can cause tugging on the catheter which can result in irritation or possibly cause the system to become vulnerable to bacterial invasion.
by on August 11th, 2010 Tags: leg bag
Posted in Fitness | Comments Off
