Condom Catheter and a Hanging

The patient had been hospitalized for vomiting buckets of blood related to alcohol abuse. When it was my turn to get him, he was shaking violently, delirious, and combative. His only restraint was a special kind of vest that tied his chest down. As the shift progressed, I kept adding restraints one at a time. Soon, I had restrained both of his wrists and ankles. It was the only way to keep him in bed and to make him stop hitting me. I was also pumping him full of tranquilizers with little effect. He was young, big and strong. I would have had better luck trying to control a wild horse. Although I had three other patients, they mostly were ignored because he needed all of my attention.

Once he was fully restrained, he began dry humping the air with his pelvis. He was screaming and thrashing, so it's not a big surprise that his condom catheter came off causing urine to pool in the bed and eventually soak even his hair. He hadn't bathed in days, so the addition of urine to his dirty hair just added to the ambiance of being near him.

On the subject of condom catheters, they are just like what they sound like. It is a condom with a tube attached that fits over the penis and drains urine. Like a condom, it's tough to put on when a man is "relaxed." But, it is not part of a nurse's job description to make men "happy," so we just have to do the best we can. This time though, the job was easy, as he was already "happy." (Oh, joy.) Twice, I got the honor of suiting him up.

The shift nearly ended in tragedy. Walking by his room, I saw that his legs were hanging over the end of the bed and the restraint vest was wrapped around his neck, choking him. His face was purple and he was gurgling. He nearly hanged himself. I released him and the color returned to his face and he was no worse for wear, but what a close call that was. I don't know how I would have ever explained that.