Catheter

In Medicine , a catheter is a Tube that can be inserted into a body cavity duct or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage or injection of fluids or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is '''catheterization'''. In most uses a catheter is a thin, flexible tube: a "soft" catheter; in some uses, it is a larger, solid tube: a "hard" catheter.

The ancient Egyptians are reported to have fashioned catheters from papyrus, and the ancient Greeks from reeds. A flexible urinary catheter was invented by Benjamin Franklin for the use of his brother.

Placement of a catheter into a particular part of the body may allow:

draining Urine from the Urinary Bladder as in Urinary Catheterization , i.e. Foley Catheter or even when the Urethra is damaged as in Suprapubic Catheterisation . By comparison, a Texas catheter is not inserted into the urethra, but connects to the penis via a condom-like envelope with a drainage tube at its tip.

drainage of fluid collections, e.g. an abdominal Abscess

administration of Intravenous fluids, Medication or Parenteral Nutrition

Angioplasty , Angiography , Balloon Septostomy

direct measurement of Blood Pressure in an Artery or Vein

A Central Venous Catheter is a conduit for giving Drugs or fluids into a large-bore catheter positioned either in a Vein near the Heart or just inside the Atrium . A Swan-Ganz Catheter is a special type of catheter placed into the Pulmonary Artery for measuring pressures in the heart.

SEE ALSO

Cannula

Stent

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Catheter