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Mackenziesimper Technicaldefinition
Mackenziesimper Technicaldefinition
What is a catheter?
A catheter is a long, thin hollow tube, usually made of plastic or rubber. It is a medical device made to be inserted into a body cavity. Similar to a reversible hose vacuum, it can either inject (infuse) or drain fluids from the body.
Figure 1 - IV Catheter
1. Intravenous Catheter: This is perhaps the most common type of catheter, usually referred to as an IV. An IV is used to transfer fluids, such as medicine, into the body. It can also be used to extract fluids. An IV would be used to extract blood from a donor and then again one would be used to perform the transfusion to the recipient. Figure 1 shows an example catheter with a needle attached for injection.
2. Urinary Catheter: This catheter is used to drain urine from the bladder is commonly used to treat patients during long medical procedures or surgeries. It can also be used to treat people with urinary dysfunction or other disorders that disrupt bladder control. In Figure 2, a urinary catheter with a balloon tip, is shown. The balloon
is inflated with sterile water to keep the catheter in place once it is inserted into the urinary tract. 3. Cardiac Catheter: Catheters can also be very useful tools to treat various heart conditions. Angioplasty is a common procedure in which a catheter is inserted into a blocked or collapsed coronary (heart) artery and inflated. The catheter can also be used as a pathway through which the doctor can perform other procedures and tests on the heart.
Figure 3 - Cardiac Catheter