And the bladder is an organ that works to store urine and then drain urine, by squeezing. Sometimes the bladder, as we age, becomes less effective and either doesn’t store properly or doesn’t drain properly. When it comes to a point where the bladder doesn’t drain properly, maybe it doesn’t squeeze appropriately for one reason or another, we need to have a discussion about how we can get that bladder drained.

There’s a number of ways we can drain the bladder, but some that we talk about in the urology clinic, frequently, are either having a catheter in or using catheters to drain the bladder intermittently. Having a catheter in all the time may be a little uncomfortable, but it does serve to drain the bladder continuously. That catheter can be put in either through the genitalia or it can be put above the pubic bone.

The catheter directly put into the bladder above the pubic bone is known as a suprapubic catheter, and that serves to drain the bladder at all times to make sure that it’s decompressed. Another way of emptying the bladder is intermittently. One can pass the catheter into the bladder. This is called clean intermittent catheterization. So if the bladder’s not working effectively, it may be necessary to either have a catheter in all the time, or to pass one at different times during the day.

We would really need to evaluate you as a patient to see which one you’d be the best candidate for. I’m Russell Libby with Northwoods Urology of Texas, and thank you for tuning in and talking about bladders that may not function so well. You can visit us online at northwoodsurology.com, or give us a call at (281) 404-3000, and we’d be happy to talk to you about helping you with your bladder needs.