Suprapubic Catheter Placement

A suprapubic catheter is a hollow flexible tube that is used to drain urine into a bag. The tube is placed directly into the bladder, slightly below the belly button. This procedure provides more comfort than a regular catheter because of the placement not being through the urethra. To place this catheter, an ultrasound is used for guidance and an X-ray with contrast dye is used to better visualize the urinary bladder when inserting the needle for confirmation. Once the catheter is in place in the bladder, a small balloon on the catheter secures it from falling out.