Catheter?

[grendal82002]

I have a question when a boy is catheterized and he is not circumcised do they pull the skin back to do it and when the boy is catheterized for a while in the hospital is the foreskin pulled back for the amount of time he is catheterized or do they leave it pulled forward. I"m not talking a baby but a boy anywhere from age 5 to 21. I ask because my friend is catheterized right now and I'm just curious.

Thanks!

[hedgehogs4]

If the foreskin is retractable it will be retracted soley to clean the meatus before insertion and then will be moved forward again. If the foreskin is not retractable there should be no forcing.

[Mrsboyko]

They do not have to retract fully in order to get a cathater in. In infants at least (no retraction possible) the skin does slide back so you can see the hole. This does not constitute retraction as none of the head is visible, just the meatus.

[Quirky]

and the foreskin will be put back into place once the cath is in (or it should be!)

[eepster]

Though it unnecessary and in the case of a child who has not become retractable yet damaging, it is commonly done. The foreskin should not be left retracted, this can cause paraphimosis which is very serious (I wouldn't take that as a guaranty that all Drs or nurses know this.)

[Minarai]

Originally Posted by eepster

Though it unnecessary and in the case of a child who has not become retractable yet damaging, it is commonly done. The foreskin should not be left retracted, this can cause paraphimosis which is very serious (I wouldn't take that as a guaranty that all Drs or nurses know this.)

I'm sure they know it; they can use it as an excuse to circumcise, especially while the patient is still under anesthesia.
There was a famous case (I can't remember where) where a newly adopted Chinese-born infant boy was put under anesthesia for some surgery and the doctors used it as an opportunity to circumcise without parental consent.

[vacuumreality]

As hedgehogs4 said, if the foreskin is retractable they will retract it to clean/insert the catheter and then re-cover the glans while the catheter is in.

If your friend is catheterized for going in to surgery (and if your friend is male with a foreskin) he ought to be careful! http://www.cirp.org/news/millhollon1/
The link is to a news article about a man who went in for heart surgery and woke up circumcised - the excuse? They needed to circumcise him to insert the catheter...
IMO there is a lot of misunderstanding and/or disdain about/for the foreskin in this country, so I thought I'd pass along this information.

[vacuumreality]

Caution Can Be Warranted

Sorry, double-post!

[grendal82002]

Thanks for all the help and advice.

[tutucrazy]

No retraction is necessary to cath and intact boy. In fact, it can be harmful to the boy and tear his foreskin. If a boy happens to be retractable, they might do it just to clean around the area but this should ONLY be done if the boy has already retracted himself and is comfortable with it. Regardless of age, the foreskin should never be left retracted, this can cause a condition called paraphimoses. The foreksin should always be returned to the forward position.