The purpose of a bladder washout is to remove debris and mucus from your bladder. Bladder washouts usually need to be performed when a bladder augmentation or neo-bladder has been created.  When bowel is used to create the bladder mucus and debris will be produced. An accumulation of mucus in the bladder can lead to an increased amount of infections and bladder stones.

 

Equipment

• Bladder syringe

• Clean Jug

• Saline/cool boiled water (1 litre = a level teaspoon of salt)

• Catheter

 

Procedure

First insert the catheter as normal and drain off any urine present in the bladder.  Fill a 50ml bladder syringe with the saline and connect to the catheter.  Insert saline into the bladder.  Leave a few millimeters in the syringe.  Withdraw the water from the bladder.  If the syringe contains a large amount of mucus repeat the process until the water withdrawn by the syringe is clear.  You may find that moving your hips from side to side helps to dislodge the mucus and make it easier to remove.

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A healthcare professional will advise you initially on how often to perform bladder washouts.  This is usually once a week unless you have the catheter in situ all the time.  You will soon develop your own pattern for doing this depending on how much mucus you produce.  There are certain foods and conditions where you may produce more mucus.  This includes dairy products, fizzy drinks, and real ale, or if you have a cold, hayfever or gastrointestinal upset.

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Your Home Delivery Service can supply the 50ml bladder syringes, usually free of charge. After the bladder washout, clean the jug and the syringe in cool boiled water a few times.