Improper urethral catheterization may lead to complications such as urethral injury, catheter entanglement and urinary tract infection. Most of the related literature has focused on aseptic surgical technique, but there are no guidelines on the optimal insertion length for neonatal urinary catheterization.

To explore the external anatomical landmarks for urethral catheter positioning in male newborns.

This research is based on an observational study in Beijing Children's Hospital, China. Hospitalized male neonates who required Foley balloon catheters were prospectively enrolled in this study. The actual insertion length of the urethral catheter for male neonates and the anticipated insertion length based on anatomical landmarks were measured and compared.

A total of 67 male neonates were enrolled. The mean body length was 50.66 ± 2.93 cm, and the mean body weight was 3.33 ± 0.70 kg. The mean actual insertion length of catheter was 8.77 ± 0.94 cm, while the anticipated length was 10.89 ± 0.95 cm. All the anticipated lengths exceeded the actual insertion length by 0.5–4.6 cm, which was deemed suitable for the procedure.

Estimating the insertion length of urethral catheters based on external anatomical landmarks is clinically feasible. Selecting an anatomical landmark is a safe method for nurses or doctors to ensure the correct positioning of a urethral catheter.

Tweetable abstract

The data of 67 male neonates shows that external anatomical landmarks for urethral catheter positioning in male newborns are possible.