I was wondering why some choose to use Depends and some a foley bag. Can you use either or does it depend on your condition?
Better never to have a foley. Much higher risk of a UTI/pyelonephritis, etc... and in older adults can be deadly....sepsis, confusion with fall causing fractures or brain injury. Many of my patients are orthopedic fractures and get them in just this way. UTI’s are very common in older adults, especially women (shorter path to the bladder for bacteria to travel and less clean due to female anatomy. That’s just the fact. If you have urinary retention you have no choice but to straight cath (in and out multiple times a day), foley, or suprapubic. Either way, much higher risk for infection. The bladder is naturally sterile and you are just asking for trouble when cathing. New hospital protocols are to NOT cath unless certain criteria makes it necessary. Anyway, always better to use a diaper for incontinence unless you are Hillary, that is. They are noticeable. Would not look good for her to have a bulky diaper showing beneath her pants. And, probably would not be comfortable walking with it as well. That’s probably why she wanted to try the foley and leg bag. Incontinence pads probably are not enough for her....don’t hold enough urine and would leak easily and be seen. We send uro patients (mostly men) home with leg bags all the time....post op prostate surgery or came in with hematuria and foley to be dc’d in the doctor’s office after discharge. Avoid a foley at all costs unless medically necessary. Most post op patients only have it for 1-2 days, then it comes out, unless the patient has skin breakdown, wounds, surgery where it could come in contact with urine (hips especially.....urine can easily leak out of the diaper/depends and saturate the bed, getting the surgical site wet = ^^ chance of infection) Most docs would keep the foley in longer under those circumstances.