Diagram of a foley catheter

Foley catheters are flexible (usually latex) tubes that are passed through the urethra during urinary catheterization and into the bladder to drain urine. They are retained by means of a balloon at the tip which is inflated with sterile water. The balloons typically come in two different sizes 5 cc and 30 cc. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Catheter disassembled In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity duct or vessel. ... The LaTeX logo, typeset with LaTeX LATEX, written as LaTeX in plain text, is a document markup language and document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program. ... In anatomy, the urethra is a tube which connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body. ... In urinary catheterization, a urinary catheter, like foley catheter, a slender plastic tube, is pushed up a patients urinary tract into their bladder. ... In anatomy, the urinary bladder is a hollow, muscular, and distensible (or elastic) organ that sits on the pelvic floor in mammals. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

The relative size of a Foley catheter is described using French units (F). The most common Foley catheters typically range from 10 F - 28 F. 1 F is equivalent to 0.33 mm = .013" = 1/77" of diameter. [1] Thus the size in French units is roughly equal to the circumference of the catheter in millimetres. The French catheter scale is commonly used to measure the outside circumference of cylindrical medical instruments including catheters. ...

Foley catheters come in several sub-types. Coudé (French for elbowed) catheters have a 45° bend at the tip to allow easier passage through an enlarged prostate. Council tip catheters have a small hole at the tip which allows them to be passed over a wire. 3-way catheters are used primarily after bladder, prostate cancer or prostate surgery. They have a third arm or bell that allows an irrigant to pass to the tip of the catheter through a small separate channel into the bladder. This serves to wash away blood and small clots through the primary arm that drains into a collection device. This prevents larger clots, that might plug the catheter, from forming. The second or inflation arm has a small plastic valve that allows for the introduction or removal of sterile water through a very small channel to inflate or deflate the retaining balloon. The prostate is an exocrine gland of the male mammalian reproductive system. ...

They were designed by Dr. Frederick Foley, a surgeon working in Boston, Massachusetts in the 1930s, when he was a medical student. Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, Athens of America, The Hub (of the Universe)1 Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area    - City  89. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ...

His original design was adopted by C R Bard of Murray Hill, New Jersey, who manufactured the first prototypes and named them in honour of the surgeon. Murray Hill is a locality of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey located in Union County in north-central New Jersey. ...

Side view diagram of male urinary tract with Foley catheter in place to drain urine. A balloon near the tip holds the catheter in place.