The diameter of a urinary catheter used in a pediatric patient needs to match the diameter of the patient’s urethra.
The diameter of a urinary catheter refers to its external diameter (outer diameter or OD).
1 French = 0.3333 mm
The smallest diameter balloon catheters (5, 6 or 8 French) may be somewhat flimsy. Some people use a feeding catheter instead. Others try to use 8 Fr catheters in infants.
|
Age in Years |
Body Weight in Kilograms |
Suggested Size FrenchCatheter |
Corresponding OD |
|
infant |
< 10 |
5 or 6 |
1.67 to 2.0 mm |
|
1 year |
10 |
6 to 8 |
|
|
2 years |
12 |
8 |
2.67 mm |
|
3 years |
14 |
8 to 10 |
|
|
5 years |
18 |
10 |
3.3 mm |
|
6 years |
21 |
12 |
4.0 mm |
|
8 years |
27 |
12 |
|
|
12 years and above |
30 or more |
14 |
4.67 mm |
Specialty: Nephrology, Clinical Laboratory
