Questions posted in the The Urology Forum have been answered by urologists from Henry Ford Health System and by Dr. Kevin Pho.

Question Title: Nursing care following radical prostatectomy

Forum: The Urology Forum
Topic: Prostate Cancer

I have a friend in Israel who asked me to try to find out what doctors in the U.S. are doing in the following situation. My friend, a 60 year old man, recently had a radical prostatectomy. While I am not conversant with all that that means, I know that he has vinyl tubing attached to his body (primarily waist area). It is very warm in Israel and the "plaster" (or whatever it's called) that helps to hold the tubing in place tends to smell bad (along with his body's own sweat from the high temperatures). He feels that it is difficult for people to get too close to him because of this disagreeable ordor. He (and the nurse that is working with him) wonder if there are different methods they mightr try (in place of what he calls "the plaster" to hold the tubing in place - things that would not smell bad. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Dear Heather,

Radical retropubic prostatectomy is a common procedure used to treat prostate cancer that is confined to the prostate. The procedure is performed through a midline incision in the abdomen. Normally, the patient has a catheter through the penis into the bladder which is connected to a drainage bag. This is left in place for a variable amount of time from 5 days to 4 weeks. The catheter is then removed after appropriate healing and the patient urinates on his own.
Most urologists also leave a drain in the pelvis for a variable amount of time after surgery from 2 days to several weeks depending on the amount of drainage. This is connected to a bag that is usually secured to the skin with tape or a Velcro strap.
The problem you describe sounds like either the catheter or the pelvic drain. One solution might be to use a Velcro strap to secure the tubing and bag. If this is not available cloth tape might suffice. This information is provided for general medical education purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition. More individualized care is available at the Henry Ford Hospital and its satellites (1 800 653 6568).

HFHS MD-KR
*keyword : radical prostatectomy
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