Guide To The Urine Bag

Urine bags are collection devices that are often used in the hospitals as well as home situations where patients suffer from illness or have had surgery that makes it hard to make it to the toilet. A leg bag is the kind of urine bag that’s the most common, and it can be hidden from view by a blanket or clothing. Learning proper care instructions for it will help in preventing embarrassment and infection from either a temporary or permanent catheter that is draining into the bag.

Tubing

To collect urine, it’s connected to the catheter which is in the urethra of a patient. The tube’s other end goes to the urine collection bag. It’s important to care for a catheter so that bacteria doesn’t grow. In most of the cases, the tubing of the catheter is being held on the leg of a person using a leg strap that is thin and adjustable. This band needs to be put high on the patient’s thigh so that the tube isn’t pulled or crimped. The catheter won’t be pulled out by the patient, but he or she may have to empty the bag and clean the tube’s bottom.

Emptying the Bag

The bag needs to be watched to ensure that it’s not so full that it’s going to pull on the tubing. It should be emptied before it is completely full. This is going to prevent the urine from pooling into the tube or backing into the patient’s urethra. The catheter’s end is going to be fitted using a valve that can be crimped in order to keep urine flowing from a tube when it’s removed from the bag’s top. There will be a spout on the bottom of the bag. The spout or clamp is going to flip two ways, one to open it and one to close it. The bag should be drained into either a toilet or a urinal, or it can be measured for the doctor to monitor. This will require a container that’s specially made for that purpose.

Cleaning the Bag

The bag should be rinsed on a daily basis to prevent bacterial growth and odor. Make a mixture of vinegar and water in equal parts. The care for the bag should be done according to the instructions from the manufacturer. There are different instructions for different designs regarding the insertion of the catheter as well as the urine drainage mode.