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PROCEDURE:

1. The patient may sit on the bed or a
2. If he wants to lie down, he should have a pillow under his head and shoulders.
3. Wash your hands
4. Fill the glass container with saline solution (salt water). To make saline, dissolve 1 level teaspoon of salt in 2 cups of tap
5. Attach the sucker to the
6. Dip the tip of the sucker in saline. Cover the open port of the connector with your thumb to make a suction. Suction a small amount of saline through the tubing to make sure it is
7. Gently insert the sucker into a nostril. Keep the end of the connector open while inserting the sucker. Cover the open end of the connector and suction out the mucus.
8. Start pulling the sucker out of your child’s nose. You may need to suction more than
9. Suction mucus from the mouth if necessary. Do not suction the mouth first. (This could cause germs to get into the respiratory )
10. Suction saline through the tubing a few times during suctioning.

HOW TO CLEAN THE EQUIPMENT:

1. Use syringe to force soapy water through catheter
2. All equipment should be cleaned every day. If disposable catheters are used, you may skip steps 2 through 5 below.
3. Wash the suction machine jar and tubing in soapy water and rinse
4. Bring the water to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid and boil for 10 minutes. Let it
5. Place the clean, sterilized catheters in the jar labeled “Clean” and cover the
6. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or nurse.

WHEN DO YOU NEED TO SUCTION?

• If the patient make’s choking noises or gurgling
• If patient coughs
• You may hear a rattling in patient’s
• When you touch the chest with the flat of your hand, you may feel a “rattling.
• An infant may have trouble
• If the lips may be blue or grey in

EQUIPMENTS:

• Electric portable suction pump
• 2 sets of tubing (for electric pump)
• 16-ounce glass container
• Adult/pediatric sucker
• Salt
• Tissues
• 10-mL. syringe

AFTER SUCTION:

• Suction saline through the tubing a few times after suctioning to clean the mucus out of the
• Your patient may need to rest and be comforted after suctioning.

CHANGING DRAINAGE BAG:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.
• Empty the urine from the drainage bag into the Make sure that spout of the drainage bag never touches the side of the toilet or any emptying container.
• Place the clean cloth or gauze under the connector to catch any
• Pinch off the catheter with your fingers and disconnect the used
• Wipe the end of the catheter with an alcohol
• Wipe the connector on the new bag with the second alcohol
• Connect the clean bag to the catheter and release your finger
• Check all connections. Straighten any kinks or twists in the

CLEANING YOUR CATHETER:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and
2. Using mild soap and water, clean your genital
3. Men should retract the foreskin, if needed, and clean the area, including the
4. Women should separate the labia, and clean the area from front to
5. Clean your urethra (urinary opening), which is where the catheter enters your
6. Clean the catheter from where it enters your body and then down, away from your body. Hold the catheter at the point it enters your body so that you don’t put tension on
7. Rinse the area well and dry it

CONTACT YOUR HEALTH PROVIDER IF:

• Your catheter comes out. Do not try to replace it yourself.
• You have a temperature of 101 °F (38.3 °C) or
• You are making less urine than
• You have foul-smelling
• You have bright red blood or large blood clots in your urine.
• You have abdominal (belly) pain and no urine in your catheter

PREVENTING INFECTION:

• Keep the drainage bag below the level of your bladder and off the floor at all
• Keep the catheter secured to your thigh to prevent it from
• Don’t lie on your catheter or block the flow of urine in the
• Shower daily to keep the catheter
• Clean your hands before and after touching the catheter or

CHECK:

• Palpate bladder
• Ask about patient’s
• Observe character and amount of urine in drainage system.
• Determine that there is no urine leaking from catheter or tubing

SPECIAL POINTS TO CONSIDER:

You may see some blood or urine around where the catheter enters your body, especially when walking or having a bowel movement. This is normal, as long as there’s urine draining into the drainage bag. If there’s not, call your doctor or nurse.

While you have your catheter, drink 1 to 2 glasses of liquids every 2 hours while you’re awake.