catheter
n.a thin, flexible tube that a doctor puts into your body to add or remove fluids. It is most often used to help people empty their bladder when they cannot go to the bathroom normally.
n.a flexible tube inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow the drainage or injection of fluids. Most commonly refers to a urinary catheter used to drain the bladder.
“The nurse inserted a catheter to help the patient after surgery.”
“After the operation, the patient required a catheter for several days until they were mobile enough to use the restroom.”
“Medical professionals must maintain a sterile environment during the insertion of a catheter to prevent the introduction of bacteria into the urinary tract, which could lead to a secondary infection.”
Commonly used with the verbs 'insert', 'remove', or 'change'.
“At a new training centre, caregivers can learn practical skills, from managing catheters to transferring patients into wheelchairs.”
Borrowed from French cathéter, from Late Latin cathetēr, from Ancient Greek καθετήρ (kathetḗr, “surgical instrument for emptying the bladder”), from καθίημι (kathíēmi, “to descend, let down”) + -τήρ (-tḗr, suffix forming masculine nouns from verbs).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.