I heard about a catheter used rectally to administer medication. What can you tell me about this?
I think you are referring to the Macy Catheter. It is a catheter that is inserted rectally to administer medication and or fluids when the oral route of parenteral route is not working for this individual resident.
The kit comes with a small container to grind a pill. You then add 5cc of water to the container via a syringe, rotate for about 10 seconds and then withdraw the 5cc, followed by another 3cc in and out to be sure the medicine has all been obtained from the small container. Plain fluid also can be administered.
As a bit of background, the inventor of the device is Brad Macy, a veteran hospice nurse. The inspiration for the device’s invention came from a dying patient. Because the patient could not swallow, the prescribed administration was per rectum. Brad found a way to give the medication to the agitated patient with a urinary catheter. The patient calmed down quickly.
On the company’s website, www.macycatheter.com, there is a white paper showing how one facility saved $92,000 using this method instead of IV fluids. The site also says pain medications administered through this method tend to work faster, and when someone is in severe pain, faster is a good thing!
The company even quotes a McKnight’s item on its website: “In an article published by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, ‘Dehydration is a major concern for nursing homes, as it can often snowball into much more serious issues, such as delirium, falls, constipation and urinary tract infections.’” There are also tutorials on the site. I hope this helps with your question, and, no, I do not work for this company. I am simply interested in looking for items to improve the quality of life for our residents and staff!
