Which statement correctly describes an external urinary catheter?

Which statement correctly describes an external urinary catheter?

• A. Applied over the shaft of the penis and held in place by a padded strap or adhesive tape.
• B. Involves an indwelling balloon at the end.
• C. Is surgically inserted directly into the bladder.
• D. Is used to measure arterial blood pressure.

Answer: (A)

An external urinary catheter is a condom-like device placed over the penis and secured with a padded strap or adhesive tape. Its purpose is to collect urine without entering the urethra or bladder, making this description the correct one. The other descriptions refer to devices that go inside the body or serve a different function: a catheter with a retention balloon at the end is inserted into the urethra into the bladder (an indwelling catheter); surgically inserting a catheter directly into the bladder describes a suprapubic catheter; and an instrument used to measure arterial blood pressure is an arterial line, not a urinary catheter.

An external urinary catheter is a condom-like device placed over the penis and secured with a padded strap or adhesive tape. Its purpose is to collect urine without entering the urethra or bladder, making this description the correct one.

The other descriptions refer to devices that go inside the body or serve a different function: a catheter with a retention balloon at the end is inserted into the urethra into the bladder (an indwelling catheter); surgically inserting a catheter directly into the bladder describes a suprapubic catheter; and an instrument used to measure arterial blood pressure is an arterial line, not a urinary catheter.