leg bag

5 Essential steps to change a leg bag

Welcome back to LINC Medical’s series of blogs designed to help catheter users and their carers. Changing your leg bag Leg bags should be changed every 5-7 days. Longer times between leg bag changes helps to reduce the risk of infection getting into the closed drainage system. Changing your leg bag safely involves 5 easy steps: 1. Wash your hands with warm soapy water and dry them 2. Grip the catheter at the join between the drainage tube and the inflation tube and grip the leg bag above the connector. Rotate the catheter gently whilst pulling away from the connector. 3. Take off the cap from the new bag and dispose of the old one 4. Gently but firmly push in the new bag into the catheter. Be careful not to touch the open catheter end or the connector on the new drainage bag. Once connected wash your hands again. 5. Make a note of the date you changed your leg bag on the bag date box, and pop a note in your calendar to remind you to change your leg bag after 5-7 days. Troubleshooting your leg bag Sometimes you might notice that yor leg bag is not filling.…
Read More

How to choose a leg bag

There are many things to consider when choosing a leg bag. The aim of this blog is to help you in your decision making and explain the various choice at your disposal. Not all leg bags are the same. When choosing a leg bag, you should be aware of some of the variations available to you. Size Leg bags tend to come in 3 different capacities: 350ml, 500ml and 750ml. The best bag for you will depend on your own urine output and lifestyle choices. Some patients prefer the large capacity of the 750ml leg bag, allowing them to go longer without emptying their leg bag. Other patients like the compact size of the 350ml leg bag. It’s best to start with the common 500ml leg bag and then try larger or smaller sizes to see what works best. If you are caring for a child, smaller ‘Panda’ bags are available in 100ml or 200 ml sizes from LINC Medical. These are specifically designed with children in mind. Tubing Length LINC Medical Bags come in 4 tubing lengths: a. Direct For patients who are smaller in size or wish to keep their leg bag positioned on their upper thigh. b.…
Read More