Urinary catheters are commonly-used pieces of medical equipment in many hospitals around the world. They’re helpful for treating patients with a variety of conditions, such as urinary incontinence or urethral blockages, and they’re also used for patients who are undergoing surgery or those who may find it hard to get out of their beds and use the toilet.

Catheter bags are key components of any urinary catheter system. Also known as collection bags or urinary bags, catheter bags are the containers or receptacles that collect the urine as it flows through the catheter from the patient’s body. They may be able to store large amounts of urine, but will need emptying, cleaning, and changing from time to time.

When it comes to emptying a catheter bag, cleaning a urinary bag, or changing a catheter collection bag, it’s important to follow a strict and sanitary process in order to minimize the risks of any contamination or other problems. In this guide, we’ll look at the correct procedures for cleaning, changing, and emptying catheter bags.

When Should a Catheter Bag Be Emptied?

Catheter bags need to be emptied on quite a regular basis. Different clinics and hospitals may have slightly different policies regarding this matter, but in general, it’s best to empty a bedside catheter bag on a daily basis. Many hospitals choose to empty catheter bags each morning, or every eight hours. 

In some patients, bags may require more frequent emptying, and they should be emptied when they’re around half full. It’s best to avoid letting the catheter bag get too full, especially not over 3/4 full, as this may lead to urine backing up into the patient’s body and inside the bladder, which can lead to pain, inflammation, and infection.

What Equipment Is Needed to Empty and Clean a Catheter Bag?

In order to correctly empty and clean a urinary drainage bag or catheter bag, you’ll need to prepare some pieces of equipment. It’s important to ensure that all of the necessary supplies are ready to use before you begin. Here are some of the pieces of equipment you will usually need:

• Some soapy water or cleaning solution 
• Acetic acid solution
• A clean catheter tip syringe or squeeze bottle 
• A clean or disposable towel 
• Some clean gloves 
• Alcohol swabs or wipes
• Some kind of vessel to empty the urine into

How to Empty, Clean, and Change a Urinary Catheter Bag

Next, let’s look at the actual process involved with emptying, cleaning, and changing urinary catheter bags. We’ll provide step by step instructions on how to empty a bag, clean it, and then change it for a new one.

Step 1. Wash Your Hands with Soap and Water

The first step of the process, and the first step of almost any kind of medical process, is to ensure that your hands are clean. Use warm soapy water to clean your hands thoroughly, and scrub all around your hands for around 30 seconds for best results. After this, try to avoid touching any surfaces or items with your bare hands that could cause contamination. This is really important to reduce the risk of any contamination or infection.

Step 2. Prepare a Container or Receptacle

Next, you’ll need to prepare some kind of container, vessel, or receptacle. When you empty the bag, there needs to be a container that you can empty the urine into. It may also be possible to empty a urinary bag directly into a toilet. Either way, you need to ensure that something is nearby for you to empty the bag into.

Step 3. Prepare Additional Supplies

If you’re planning to proceed with cleaning and changing the urinary bag, you’ll also need to prepare some extra supplies. This may include cleaning solution, alcohol wipes, medical gloves, a catheter syringe, and a replacement drainage bag. Make sure that you have all of the necessary items you’ll need for the procedure, and place them onto a stand or try near the patient’s bedside for easy access.

Step 4. Put on Gloves

Even though urinary catheters are designed in a way to minimize the risks of contamination or infection, it’s still important to take precautionary measures to reduce the chances of any contaminants connecting with the ports or tubing. You should therefore proceed to put on a pair of clean medical gloves before proceeding to the next steps where you will begin interacting with the catheter itself.

Step 5. Clean the Port 

The next step of the process is to clean the area around the port where the catheter itself and the drainage bag meet. You can use the alcohol wipe to clean this area. Rub the wipe around the port thoroughly and then leave it for a short moment to dry off. During this time, you can remove your medical gloves and dispose of the alcohol wipe. You can also put on a fresh pair of medical gloves, ready for the next step of the process.

Step 6. Disconnect and Replace the Bag 

Next, you can prepare your new catheter bag and be ready to attach it to the catheter tubing. First, place a towel or cloth under the area to catch any urine that leaks out, and then disconnect the existing bag from the catheter tubing. You can then proceed to use an alcohol swab to clean the ends of the tubes, before attaching the new bag. You may choose to do this part of the procedure later on, but many hospitals prefer to attach the new bag right away before emptying and cleaning the older one, just in case any urine continues to flow through the catheter and needs to have somewhere to collect.

Step 7. Empty the Disconnected Bag

Next, you can empty the old bag. The way you do this will vary, depending on what kind of bag you’re working with. There are various types of urinary bags and they may have slightly different valves and opening systems. Find the correct way to open the bag you’re working with. It may have a drainage valve, for example, or a clamp or opening. Either way, open it up above your receptacle and drain all of the urine out into the receptacle or toilet.

Step 8. Add Soapy Water into the Bag

Next, you can begin the cleaning process for the old bag. To do this, use either a catheter tip syringe or a squeeze bottle to insert some soapy water into the bag. You can then shake the bag and use your hands to rub the cleaning solution around inside so that it covers all the interior walls and corners, washing away any deposits. Make sure that the water reaches all around the bag and into the drainage tubing. You can also carry out a visual inspection while you do this to look for any deposits, as well as any possible damages to the bag or possible leaks. If you do notice any damages, it’s best to dispose of the bag entirely.

Step 9. Drain the Cleaning Solution Out

The next step is to remove the soapy water or cleaning solution from the bag entirely. You can drain it out via the drainage tubing, and then flush the bag with additional clean water to get rid of any suds and soap residue. Repeat this process until all soap has been drained out of the bag and the tubing.

Step 10. Rinse with Acetic Acid

In some hospitals and other healthcare facilities, it is also customary to use an acetic acid solution or other, similar cleaning product to rinse the bag. You can do this with the aid of a standard 60ml syringe or bottle. Insert the solution into the bag, shake it around, and let it sit for around 15 minutes before rinsing it all out with water.

Step 11. Leave the Bag to Dry

The final step of the process is to let the bag dry out. You should place the urinary catheter bag, as well as its spout and tubing sections, on a clean and dry surface in the open air. This will give it a chance to dry out thoroughly, but make sure that the open end of the spout and tubing don’t make contact with any unclean surfaces. You can also take this time to remove your medical gloves, wash your hands once more, and verify that the new catheter bag has been fitted correctly.

FAQ

How Often Should You Empty a Catheter Bag?

This will depend on the patient and the policy of the hospital or clinic. In general, it’s best to empty catheters at least every eight hours, or whenever they are around half full. This should help to keep the system clean and functioning correctly, without any unnecessary risks of urine backing up and causing problems.

How Long Does it Take to Empty and Clean a Catheter Bag?

The whole process of emptying and correctly cleaning a catheter bag should only take a matter of minutes. A trained and experienced nurse should be able to empty and clean catheter bags very quickly, but it’s always important to take care during the process to avoid any contamination or errors that could cause problems for the patient.

Where Can I Buy Catheter Bags?

If you’re interested in buying catheter bags online, you can shop at CIA Medical. We stock and sell a huge range of catheter bags from trusted brands, in various sizes. As one of the world’s leading suppliers of wholesale medical goods, CIA Medical has the experience, expertise, and competitive pricing you need to get the best deals on healthcare products.