Most bag care is routine. These are the situations where you call the urologist sooner rather than later. Print this. Tape it inside the supply cabinet.

Same-day call

• Cloudy, smelly, or unusually colored urine
• Blood in the urine that doesn’t clear quickly
• Reduced or no urine output for 4+ hours
• Fever 100.4°F or higher
• Pain in lower back, abdomen, or pelvis
• Pain or burning at the catheter site
• Skin red, swollen, or oozing at the insertion site

Urgent — go to ER

• Fever above 102°F with chills (possible sepsis)
• Catheter dislodged completely
• Severe pain not relieved by changing position
• Confusion / delirium / unusual mental state
• Inability to drain urine despite checking the line for kinks

My contacts