Reducing catheter use in children
14 Mar Archive
Previously the Chelsea Children’s Hospital Charity, we re-launched as The Children’s Surgery Foundation in 2019 to reflect the national scope of our work today. The story below is from our days as the Chelsea Children’s Hospital Charity.
We’ve recently funded a Uroflow machine and a Bladder Scanner that reduce the need for invasive procedures like catheters in children. This equipment lets doctors and nurses understand in a lot more detail how the child’s bladder is working; whether or not their bladder is filling and emptying correctly; and whether they have a normal stream.
Children are encouraged to do a wee in the Uroflow, which is a special toilet that measures the flow of liquid. It is wireless so sends the results to a clinic room, allowing privacy. After weeing they will then have a scan using the Bladder Scanner to assess how empty their bladder is.
Niamh Geoghegan, Clinical Nurse Specialist for Children’s Urology, explains: “This new equipment funded by the charity means improved urological care of children in hospital. There’s less need for invasive procedures, such as catheters, and fewer scans are required. We can now offer a ‘one stop shop’ where kids can see the Clinical Nurse Specialist and Consultant Urologist in one go.
"All in all, thanks to Chelsea Children’s Hospital Charity, we can offer a better service for children and their families.”
