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Catheter
Another type of catheter is a balloon catheter, which is used to unclog blood vessels, stretch them open, or control bleeding. Catheters are also used to keep passageways in the body open. Most catheters are made of soft plastic, rubber, or silicon (a nonmetallic element). Catheter comes from the Greek word "katheter" meaning "to send down."
A flexible, hollow tube that is inserted into an opening or blood vessel in the body, with the main purpose of allowing fluid to pass from or into these areas. There are many types of catheters. For example, a Foley catheter is used to drain retained urine (pee) out from the bladder (a structure in the body that holds urine). To do this, the Foley catheter is passed through the urethra and into the bladder. The urethra is a tube shaped structure in the body that drains urine from the bladder.
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