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Urinary catheter insertion and replacement

A long-term (indwelling) urinary catheter is a thin tube that is passed through the urethra into the bladder and stays there, while urine drains into a bag. It is placed when the bladder cannot be emptied any other way or when urine output needs to be monitored. Insertion and replacement are done by a urologist.

Anaesthesialocal anaesthetic gel
Stayhome straight away
Price€35–70
Recovery profileA — outpatient

When is a catheter needed?

The most common reason is urinary retention: the bladder does not empty because of an enlarged prostate, a narrowing of the urethra, a weak bladder, an injury or a nerve condition. A catheter is also placed after some operations, until the bladder recovers, and when an illness makes it impossible to go to the toilet regularly. Whether you need a catheter, and for how long, is decided at the examination.

If you cannot urinate at all and your lower abdomen is very painful and tense, this is an emergency that cannot wait for an appointment: go to the emergency department.

→ Urology: examination and diagnostics

Which catheter is chosen?

Catheters differ in material (latex or silicone), thickness and balloon size. If you are allergic to latex, say so before insertion, so that a silicone catheter can be chosen. The doctor decides which type and size is right for you.

How is it inserted and changed?

The urethra is numbed with an anaesthetic gel. The catheter is then passed through the urethra into the bladder, the urine is drained, and a small balloon at the tip is filled with fluid so that the catheter stays in the bladder. The procedure takes a few minutes. When the catheter is changed, the balloon is emptied, the old catheter is taken out and a new one is inserted in the same way. The catheter is changed before it becomes blocked, not only once it stops working.

Care at home

When the catheter is inserted, you receive verbal and written instructions on caring for the catheter and the bag, on the fluids it is good to drink and on the signs that mean you should get in touch. You can also ask questions after you go home: nurse Martina will be glad to answer your questions and concerns.

When is the procedure not suitable?

A catheter is not inserted when an injury to the urethra is suspected, for example when blood appears at the external opening after an injury. When a narrowing of the urethra does not let the catheter pass, it is not forced: the urologist then decides on another approach, for example cystoscopy. With marked inflammation of the urethra, the inflammation is treated first, unless the urinary retention is an emergency.

General reasons for postponing a procedure (inflammation, a clotting disorder, smoking): When is a procedure postponed?

Recovery

After insertion or replacement, you go home the same day and can move about normally. For the first few hours you may feel burning as urine passes and a feeling of fullness in the bladder, which on average passes by the next day.

When should you get in touch?

Get in touch if you develop a fever or chills, if your urine becomes cloudy, foul-smelling or bloody with clots, if urine leaks around the catheter or if you get pain in the lower abdomen. The catheter should not be pulled, and you should not empty or fill the balloon yourself; if the catheter moves, get in touch.

Risks

Expected — discomfort and burning during insertion, a feeling of needing to urinate while the catheter is in the bladder, traces of blood in the urine.

Occasional — urinary tract infection, urine leaking around the catheter, the catheter becoming blocked, bladder spasms.

Expected, and rare but serious → Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?

The longer a catheter stays in the bladder, the higher the risk of infection. That is why a catheter is not left in longer than necessary.

Price

ServicePrice
Urinary catheter insertion and replacement€35–70

Urinary catheter insertion and replacement costs €35 to €70; the exact amount is set at the examination.

→ All services and prices: Urology

Specialist and team

Specialty: urology — examinations, diagnostics and procedures.

When the procedure is done under sedation or general anaesthesia, the anaesthesia is led by a specialist in anaesthesiology, resuscitation and intensive care who works full time at the clinic.

In the operating theatre, the surgeon is assisted by head nurse Martina Šereg, with the help of nurses Kristina Jurešić and Mateja Tomorad, and in recovery the care assistant Mirjana Kovačić is with you. Martina also looks after preparation, scheduling and contact after the procedure.

Who will operate is decided at the examination, based on the findings and the type of procedure. You know the name of the surgeon before the procedure and meet them at the examination.

→ Doctors and team at Poliklinika Barbel

What happens at the examination?

A urological examination has two parts: a conversation about your symptoms, past illnesses and medicines, and a clinical examination. Depending on the findings, an ultrasound is done straight away, in the same visit, if needed. You receive the findings at the examination.

→ Examinations and diagnostics

Frequently asked questions

Does insertion hurt? The urethra is numbed with gel, so most people feel pressure and brief burning, not severe pain.

How long can you have a catheter? For as long as it is needed, with replacement before it becomes blocked. How long that is depends on the cause, and this is discussed at the examination and at follow-up visits.

What if the catheter falls out or urine is not draining? Get in touch straight away. If urine is not draining and your abdomen is tense and painful, or you develop a fever while you have the catheter, do not wait for an appointment: go to the emergency department.

Can I move about normally, work and travel? Most people can. The urine bag is kept below the level of the bladder, and how to manage this in everyday life is explained when the catheter is inserted.

Is there an alternative to a long-term catheter? Sometimes there is: self-catheterisation, in which you empty your bladder yourself at agreed intervals, or a procedure that removes the cause of the retention. What is possible for you is decided at the examination.

Is it normal to feel uncomfortable coming in? Yes. At the examination nothing is commented on and nothing is compared.

Medical review: doctors of Poliklinika Barbel · October 2026.

When should you get in touch immediately?

These are the signs that distinguish a complication from expected healing. If any of them appears, contact the clinic the same day, without waiting for the check-up:

In the first days after the procedure, get in touch by message or call on the clinic's WhatsApp: +385 98 306902.

→ Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?

How to choose a clinic and a surgeon?Six things worth checking before you choose a clinic or surgeon
  • Does the surgeon have a licence to practise, and for which specialty was it issued? The licence is issued by the Croatian Medical Chamber (Hrvatska liječnička komora) and can be checked.
  • Who gives the anaesthesia, and are they present throughout the procedure? Regional and general anaesthesia may be given only by specialists in anaesthesiology, resuscitation and intensive care.
  • Where is the procedure carried out, and what does that facility have if something goes differently from the plan? Equipment for emergency interventions and resuscitation, a recovery unit, central gas supply.
  • What is included in the price, and what is paid separately? Anaesthesia, preoperative work-up, check-ups, dressing changes.
  • What happens if the result is not as agreed, and who then carries out the correction? Poliklinika Barbel's correction policy
  • Time to decide. There is no prescribed number of days between the examination and the procedure, because the path to a decision is not the same for everyone. For some one conversation is enough, others want to think it over for a few weeks or hear a second opinion — both are usual. It is just as usual to come for an examination and decide afterwards that the procedure is not for you. The date of the procedure is agreed only once you are sure, and until then nurse Martina and the doctor are available for any questions that come up.

→ Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?

Get in touch

Book a consultation

Head nurse Martina Šereg answers messages. She will gladly answer your questions and arrange the date of your first examination.

The first examination lasts 30 to 45 minutes on average. The surgeon examines the area you are concerned about, asks about illnesses, medicines and earlier operations, and talks with you about what you expect. If a procedure is appropriate and likely to help, you receive a plan: which procedure is proposed, under which anaesthesia, what recovery looks like and what is included in the price. If a procedure is not needed, you will hear that at the examination too. What happens at the first examination?