The Mesothelioma SOS Glossary - Catheter

A catheter is a tube that can be inserted into the body through a body cavity duct or vessel. Catheters allow drainage of fluids from the body, or injection of medicine or fluids into the body. Interestingly enough, Benjamin Franklin invented the urinary catheter, for the treatment of his brother. Catheters can be either soft, flexible tubes known as “soft” catheters, or large, solid tubes known as “hard” catheters. In patients with mesothelioma and other cancers, catheters are often used in injecting chemotherapy drugs directly into major blood vessels. However, there are many different uses for catheters, including draining urine from the bladder using a urinary catheter, drainage of abdominal abscess, the administration of intravenous fluids or parenteral nutrition using a central venous catheter, the measurements of blood pressure and intracranial pressure, and even the administration of anesthetic medicine.

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