A urinary catheter can be inserted for a maximum of four weeks.

When patients have acute urinary retention or chronic urinary retention, urine cannot be discharged out of the body, while the bladder is full and distended, and lower abdominal distension and pain can occur, and when holding urine is serious, it is easy to cause hydronephrosis and kidney damage, so catheterization should be left in place at this time.

The duration of indwelling urinary catheter is related to the etiology of the need for indwelling urinary catheter, the material of urinary catheter, whether urinary tract infection occurs, and whether obstruction occurs in the urinary catheter. Generally, for acute urinary retention, it takes about 3-7 days to leave the catheter in place, and then the catheter is removed at the urology department of the hospital, and depending on the patient's urination, a decision is made whether the catheter needs to be left in place again.

For patients who need a long-term indwelling urinary catheter, it usually needs to be changed once every two weeks or up to four weeks in special cases, because a long-term indwelling urinary catheter is likely to cause urinary tract infection or infection of the male reproductive system. Current catheters are generally made of super-smooth antibacterial mucosa and are more histocompatible, so they can be left in place for a relatively long time, up to four weeks. In addition, for patients with indwelling urinary catheters, the catheter needs to be replaced immediately when there is poor drainage due to urethral discharge, infection in the bladder or bleeding, which can cause blockage of the catheter.