Placement of a catheter into a particular part of the body may allow:
* draining urine from the urinary bladder as in urinary catheterization, e.g., the Foley catheter or even when the urethra is damaged as in suprapubic catheterisation.
* drainage of urine from the kidney by percutaneous nephrostomy
* drainage of fluid collections, e.g. an abdominal abscess
* administration of intravenous fluids, medication or parenteral nutrition with a peripheral venous catheter
* angioplasty, angiography, balloon septostomy, balloon sinuplasty, catheter ablation. Often the Seldinger technique is used.
* direct measurement of blood pressure in an artery or vein
* direct measurement of intracranial pressure
* administration of anaesthetic medication into the epidural space, the subarachnoid space, or around a major nerve bundle such as the brachial plexus
* subcutaneous administration of insulin or other medications, with the use of an infusion set and insulin pump
* A central venous catheter is a conduit for giving drugs or fluids into a large-bore catheter positioned either in a vein near the heart or just inside the atrium.
* A Swan-Ganz catheter is a special type of catheter placed into the pulmonary artery for measuring pressures in the heart.
* An umbilical line is a catheter used in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) providing quick access to the central circulation of premature infants.
* A Touhy borst adapter is a medical device used for attaching catheters to various other devices.
* A Quinton catheter is a double or triple lumen, external catheter used for hemodialysis.
Sacado de la whiskypedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catheter
PD: Reconozco haber entrado en este hilo al leer "Tipos de catetismo" pensando que iba a ser un hilo más divertido.