Impossible bladder catheter removal. What can we do?

OBJECTIVE: The inability to remove a bladder catheter due to impossible balloon removal is a situation with controversial management; there are no action guidelines and it is limited to individual experience in most cases. In this article, we review the techniques described for removing a urethral catheter and we share our experience with one case. METHODS: A 70-year-old male with permanent bladder catheter was referred to the emergency department due to an inability to deflate the self-retaining balloon during routine change in his health centre. RESULTS: After unsuccessfully trying to puncture the balloon through the inflation channel previously cut above the valve, we punctured it via the suprapubic route under ultrasound guidance with a biopsy needle. Using this technique, we managed to rupture the balloon without free fragments, enabling the catheter to be changed without incident. CONCLUSIONS: There are various techniques for approaching this situation, the knowledge of which enables the urologist to resolve the problem by adapting to patient's characteristics and available resources. Suprapubic puncture of the self-retaining balloon is an easily reproducible technique with minimal complications and a lower rate of free fragments.

Imposibilidad para la retirada de sonda vesical ¿Qué hacer? / Impossible bladder catheter removal. What can we do?

OBJETIVO: La imposibilidad de retirada de una sonda vesical por imposibilidad para retirar el balón es una situación de manejo controvertido, sin unas pautas de actuación limitándose a la experiencia individual en la mayoría de los casos. En este artículo revisamos las técnicas descritas para retirar un catéter uretral y aportamos nuestra experiencia con una de ellas. MÉTODOS: Varón de 70 años, portador de sonda vesical permanente remitido al servicio de urgencias por imposibilidad para desinflar el balón de autoretención durante un cambio rutinario en su centro de salud. RESULTADOS: Tras intentar sin éxito puncionar el globo a través del canal de inflado previamente cortado por encima de la válvula, puncionamos este por vía suprapubica bajo control ecográfico con una aguja de biopsia. Con esta técnica conseguimos el estallido del balón sin fragmentos residuales permitiendo el cambio de la sonda sin incidencias. CONCLUSIONES: Existen varias técnicas para el abordaje de esta situación cuyo conocimiento permite al urólogo la resolución del problema adecuándose a las características del paciente y los recursos disponibles. La punción suprapubica del balón de autoretención es una técnica fácilmente reproducible con un mínimo índice de complicaciones y menor tasa de fragmentos residuales(AU)

OBJECTIVE: The inability to remove a bladder catheter due to impossible balloon removal is a situation with controversial management; there are no action guidelines and it is limited to individual experience in most cases. In this article, we review the techniques described for removing a urethral catheter and we share our experience with one case. METHODS: A 70-year-old male with permanent bladder catheter was referred to the emergency department due to an inability to deflate the self-retaining balloon during routine change in his health centre. RESULTS: After unsuccessfully trying to puncture the balloon through the inflation channel previously cut above the valve, we punctured it via the suprapubic route under ultrasound guidance with a biopsy needle. Using this technique, we managed to rupture the balloon without free fragments, enabling the catheter to be changed without incident. CONCLUSIONS: There are various techniques for approaching this situation, the knowledge of which enables the urologist to resolve the problem by adapting to patient’s characteristics and available resources. Suprapubic puncture of the self-retaining balloon is an easily reproducible technique with minimal complications and a lower rate of free fragments(AU)