Urinary Catheter in Spanish

How is an indwelling catheter placed?

According to MedlinePlus, an indwelling catheter is most often inserted through the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. Sometimes the provider inserts a catheter into the bladder through a small hole in the lower belly; this is called a suprapubic catheter. An indwelling catheter has a small balloon inflated on the end of it, which prevents the catheter from sliding out of the body.

Drainage bags and problems to report

A catheter is most often attached to a drainage bag. MedlinePlus lists problems to report to a provider, among them fever or chills, bleeding into or around the catheter, and very little or no urine draining from the catheter. It adds that a catheter that becomes clogged, painful, or infected will need to be replaced right away.

What it means

A urinary catheter is a tube placed in the body to drain and collect urine from the bladder. A health care provider may recommend one for urinary incontinence, urinary retention, surgery on the prostate or genitals, or certain other medical conditions. MedlinePlus describes three main types: an indwelling catheter, which is left in the bladder and collects urine by attaching to a drainage bag; a condom catheter, a condom-like device placed over the penis; and an intermittent catheter, which is inserted to drain the bladder and then removed. A Foley catheter is a common type of indwelling catheter. Complications of catheter use include urinary tract or kidney infections. In Spanish the term is catéter urinario, and MedlinePlus en español calls it sonda vesical.

Spanish term: Catéter urinario
Gender and article: masculine: el catéter urinario
Pronunciation: kah-TEH-tehr oo-ree-NAH-ryoh

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
sonda vesical	General	Name MedlinePlus en español uses for the urinary catheter throughout its article, which is titled Sondas vesicales.

The headword catéter urinario is not printed in that exact form on any page cited here. MedlinePlus en español titles its article Sondas vesicales and lists Catéter - urinario among its alternative names, so the attested name is sonda vesical, a feminine term (una sonda vesical). The Spanish dictionary marks catéter as a masculine noun and defines it as a sonda; it marks sonda as feminine and gives catéter as a synonym of its medical sense. MedlinePlus en español uses both words within one article: sonda suprapúbica and catéter suprapúbico.

For the types, MedlinePlus en español writes sonda permanente (indwelling catheter), sonda condón (condom catheter), sonda intermitente (intermittent catheter) and sonda de Foley (Foley catheter). The bag is the bolsa de drenaje, and the small balloon is the globo. The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary defines catéter as a flexible tube used to give fluids to the body or take them out.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	We need to place a urinary catheter to drain your bladder.	Necesitamos colocarle una sonda vesical para drenar la vejiga.
Patient	How long will the catheter need to stay in?	¿Cuánto tiempo tendrá que quedarse puesta la sonda?
Clinician	The catheter is attached to a drainage bag that collects the urine.	La sonda se fija a una bolsa de drenaje que recolecta la orina.
Patient	Urine is leaking around the catheter.	Hay un escape de orina alrededor de la sonda.
Clinician	Have you had a fever or chills since the catheter was placed?	¿Ha tenido fiebre o escalofríos desde que le colocaron la sonda?
Patient	Very little urine has drained into the bag today.	Hoy ha salido muy poca orina a la bolsa.
Patient	My father uses an intermittent catheter several times a day.	Mi padre usa una sonda intermitente varias veces al día.
Clinician	Are you allergic or sensitive to latex?	¿Tiene alergia o sensibilidad al látex?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Urinary Catheter
Spanish (Español)	Catéter urinario
Chinese (中文)	導尿管
Korean (한국어)	요도 카테터
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Ống thông tiểu
Filipino (Tagalog)	Urinary catheter
Portuguese (Português)	Cateter urinário
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	สายสวนปัสสาวะ
Japanese (日本語)	尿道カテーテル

Where you'll see it

chartmedical record

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Kidneys and urinary system

All terms in this area: Kidneys and urinary system — Riñones y vías urinarias

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.