Foley catheter for cervical dilatation

Obstetrics and gynecology is a branch of medicine in which methods, instrumentation and assistive devices are constantly updated. Obstetrics is developing rapidly, and many of the devices and medicines that were previously used to stimulate childbirth are now fading into the background. This also applies to the Foley catheter, which was previously used frequently, and today it is used much less frequently.

About what constitutes this device, and how it is used to open the cervix, we will discuss in this article.

This useful invention has its roots historically in the most ancient times. The ancient Greeks invented to remove fluids from the cavities with the help of a thin tube, but the catheter has existed in our usual form since the 19th century.

A Foley catheter is a medical device, which takes the deserved first place among urological products. Initially, it was used only for introduction into the bladder through the urinary tract. That is its use today. A catheter is used for both male and female patients.

Also this the device is operated by obstetricians to stimulate labor. With the introduction of a thin tube through the genital tract into the cervix, there is an artificial expansion of the circular muscle of the cervix, which is the induction of labor, if the term has come, and they do not occur, or for other reasons, when you want to speed up the appearance of the child into the world.

The device is a thin latex tube with a silicone coating and a small air balloon on the distal part of the catheter. Thanks to the material from which it is made, the catheter imposes a large elasticity, flexibility.

There are different sizes that are made for different needs. For urine diversion for urological problems or for surgery, some Foley catheters are used, others are used to stimulate labor. To speed up the onset of labor, a woman is usually injected into the cervical canal with a double catheter No. 18.

Current clinical guidelines of the Ministry of Health permit the use of this device for medical reasons, which we describe below. But in practice Obstetricians increasingly prefer other methods of stimulating labor, such as hormonal gels and tablets, kelp sticks. This is due to a rather high percentage of the probability of the absence of the desired effect and unpleasant sensations when inserting a catheter.

Officially, the procedure is considered painless and safe if it is performed in a hospital setting by qualified medical personnel.

The decision on the feasibility of using a Foley catheter is made by a doctor if it is necessary to induce labor activity as soon as possible.

According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health of Russia, the catheter and other methods of induction of labor can be used for:

• prolongation of pregnancy - for a period of 41-42 weeks or more;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases of the mother, in which prolongation of pregnancy can harm a woman;
• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• deterioration of the fetus;
• outflow of water in the absence of contractions;
• weak and irregular labor;
• large fruit or multiple fetuses.

When choosing an induction method, a variety of factors are taken into account, and sometimes a Foley catheter is preferred or the only possible one.

There is a list of reasons why a Foley catheter is not recommended for a specific parturient woman.

Do not install a catheter if a woman has:

• cervicitis;
• vaginitis;
• genital herpes in the active stage;
• bleeding;
• water leakage;
• genital tract infections;
• immature cervix, no disclosure;
• location of the placenta below the normal level.

All these situations create increased risks of intrauterine infection of the fetus before delivery.

As already mentioned, the catheter can be installed only by a medical specialist in the status of not lower than a doctor. He has strict instructions that he must follow when installing the Foley catheter. The procedure itself is quite fast.

It consists of the following stages.

• All possible risks are assessed, a weighted and informed decision is made. These are entered in the history of childbirth.
• The genital tract is disinfected.
• Instruments and mirrors for manipulation use exclusively sterile, the doctor works in sterile clean gloves.
• The thin end of the catheter is inserted through the vagina into the cervical canal so that the air balloon is located above the entrance to the uterus.

• 10 ml of liquid (usually water) is injected into the can from a syringe.
• The balloon, which has increased in size, begins to put pressure on the neck, stimulating it to open and start regular labor contractions. The saline can be additionally introduced into the fetal bladder through a catheter.
• The outer end of the catheter is fixed on the thigh, and fixed with a medical plaster (preferably bactericidal).
• The Foley catheter remains in the cervical canal and genital tract for 24 hours. If childbirth begins during this time, it is removed, if the childbirth does not start, after a day the decision is made to stimulate in other ways, for example, with medication after applying amniotomy.

Intrauterine infections are extremely dangerous for the baby. The procedure is simple, but dangerous, if it is performed by a non-professional medical professional. therefore so try to stimulate childbirth at home can not.

Feelings of a woman describe how painful - and in the process of inserting a catheter into the cervical canal, and during the entire time spent with the catheter, there is an increase in discharge, back pain. But the main thing that helps the catheter is not even half of pregnant women, but significantly fewer, which is why the use of devices in modern obstetrics is rather limited.

Ambiguous attitude of doctors to this medical device is also due to the fact that it can cause complications. They can be both fast and delayed in time.

Emergency situations include situations in which problems are observed with the catheter itself after insertion. This is a variety of troubles - from the loss of the cylinder to the leakage of fluid pumped into it. Many complications relate not so much to the catheter itself, as they are related to the fact of stimulation of labor. Recently, it is believed that interference in the affairs of nature is not beneficial to either the mother or the child..

Due to the fact of induction, weakness of generic forces often develops, during which contractions are ineffective, not leading to the opening of the neck or stimulating a very slow opening. Weakness may also develop in the second stage of labor - the needy.

At times, women who have been given a Foley catheter before childbirth are more difficult to recover after the birth process, the probability of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the uterus and cervix is ​​higher.

Deliveries can begin, according to reviews, before the catheter is removed from the cervical canal, but this situation is resolved quite easily, because during a gynecological examination the catheter is removed quickly.

A woman who is given a Foley catheter is usually told how to properly care for him during the day. The rules are explained by the doctor who installed the device. Follow them strictly if you want to give birth to a healthy baby and quickly return to normal after giving birth..

The first thing a woman needs to remember about the requirements of hygienic sense. The skin around the prescribed medical device must be clean. Each time, before touching the external genitalia, you need to thoroughly wash your hands with warm water and soap.

It is not necessary to remind once again that the panties must be exceptionally clean. Panties should not compress or deform the catheter. It is important to ensure that this does not happen during movements. But to wash or reinstall the catheter during stimulation of labor activity is usually not required - its use in obstetrics is disposable.

See the next video for more details on what a Foley catheter is.