Foley irrigation is the process of cleaning an indwelling catheter to clear it of any clogs. Things like mineral deposits, mucous, or blood clots can block the catheter tubing. This makes it difficult for urine to drain out of the foley catheter properly and could cause urine to back up into the kidneys. Typically, foley catheters are irrigated every four hours, but be sure to follow your doctor or nurse's instructions.

Common items found in a foley irrigation kit include an underpad, syringe, and a graduated container. The underpad is meant to be laid out on whatever surface you will be working off of so that the supplies do not get contaminated. A graduated container holds the fluid that you will be irrigating the catheter with, such as sterile water or saline. The containers have numbers imprinted on the plastic for accurate measurement. Most foley irrigation trays we carry contain a bulb syringe. A bulb syringe has a balloon at the end that uses suction to extract and dispense fluid. It is also fine to use a piston syringe for foley irrigation. This type of syringe has a plunger on the end that is pushed to deposit liquid and pulled to draw liquid in.