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Posts by Demetrio Cadiente

How to choose a night drainage bag

Welcome back to LINC Medical’s series of blogs designed to help catheter users and their carers. The focus of this blog are night bags. Night bags are drainage bags that are used primarily at night or when a user is confined to bed. Choosing a night bag There are a wide variety of night bags available, so knowing how to choose one is important. Size Your night bag needs to have enough capacity to collect urine through the night without requiring it to be  emptied. Most night bags come with a 2L capacity, but if you find you are filling your 2L bag during the night, LINC Medical supplies a 3L single use night drainage bag (LM3LS). Length of tubing Since the night bag will connect to your leg bag, you need sufficient tubing to be able to turn over at night with causing tension on your drainage system. Many patients prefer bags with longer tubing. Most night drainage bags have tubing lengths of 90-120cm. Reusable night bags These are bags that can be reused for up to 7 days. They come in two options: • Integrated hanger – these bags include a plastic hanger that allows the bag to…
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How to choose a leg bag

There are many things to consider when choosing a leg bag. The aim of this blog is to help you in your decision making and explain the various choice at your disposal. Not all leg bags are the same. When choosing a leg bag, you should be aware of some of the variations available to you. Size Leg bags tend to come in 3 different capacities: 350ml, 500ml and 750ml. The best bag for you will depend on your own urine output and lifestyle choices. Some patients prefer the large capacity of the 750ml leg bag, allowing them to go longer without emptying their leg bag. Other patients like the compact size of the 350ml leg bag. It’s best to start with the common 500ml leg bag and then try larger or smaller sizes to see what works best. If you are caring for a child, smaller ‘Panda’ bags are available in 100ml or 200 ml sizes from LINC Medical. These are specifically designed with children in mind. Tubing Length LINC Medical Bags come in 4 tubing lengths: a. Direct For patients who are smaller in size or wish to keep their leg bag positioned on their upper thigh. b.…
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A handy guide to catheter valves

Catheter valves offer an alternative means of urine drainage to a bag. A valve connects to the end of your catheter so your bladder fills with urine instead of a leg bag. You can then open the valve at regular intervals to drain your bladder. The valve acts just like a lever valve on a drainage bag: To open, push the lever down towards the floor To close, pull it back again The benefits of a catheter valve many patients report the following benefits from using a catheter valve: Comfort – no heavy bag to hang down Dignity – small and easy to conceal Protection – less risk of damage to sensitive body parts as no heavy weight hanging from the outside of your body and protection of the bladder wall as it is lifted above the catheter when full Preservation – using a valve helps to keep the tone of your bladder muscles and elastic fibres which can be lost with a bag Reduced blockage – due to the catheter regularly being flushed with urine Independence – valves may help you to manage your continence difficulties with less outside help Mobility – easier to move with a small valve…
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Can I go swimming with a catheter?

Are you a catheter user that loves swimming and is wondering whether you can continue doing your favourite hobby? Being a catheter user doesn’t mean you have to stop enjoying your favourite activities, and that’s why we have written a series of blog to help catheter users in their daily lives. You can in fact go swimming with either a urethral or suprapubic catheter. Remember in the case of a suprapubic catheter a small incision will have been made, so swimming should be kept until at least a few days after the operation. Make sure the skin around the catheter site has fully healed and shows no signs of infection before getting in the water. As always, make sure you get the opinion of a healthcare professional before undertaking physical activities. We hope this blog helped you to make a well informed decision. Thanks for reading!
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The advantages of a suprapubic catheter

Suprapubic catheters If possible your doctor will try to use a urethral catheter. There may be times however where using a suprapubic catheter through your abdominal wall is a better choice. Many patients who use suprapubic catheters say that they actually find them more comfortable than a standard catheter. Clinicians prefer them for some patients because there is a smaller chance of infection The advantages of a suprapubic catheter • Your urethra is lined with delicate skin which can be damaged over time if you use a urethral catheter longterm. Suprapubic catheters avoid this and also potential irritation to the neck (opening) of the bladder where the catheter balloon sits. • Hygiene is of utmost importance with catheters. Suprapubic catheters are much easier to keep clean because of where they sit on the body. This also makes them easier to wash. • Suprapubic catheters can be easier to change yourself as well. • Some patients find that urethral catheters get caught and pulled by clothing more often. • Bigger tubes can be used with suprapubic catheters which means they are less likely to get blocked Thank you for reading this blog, we hope you found it useful!
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