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New Catheter Device to be Used in Hospice Settings

Magdalena Stefanek, June 15, 2017

Registered nurses at Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care completed training on how to use a new catheter device in May 2017. The Macy Catheter® is designed to administer medication rectally, which can be a beneficial alternative to other delivery methods, particularly at end of life.

Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care is the first hospice agency in the Chicagoland area to use this new product.

The Macy Catheter® is intended for patients who are experiencing pain in addition to nausea, vomiting, seizures, or difficulty swallowing, all of which can occur at the end of life. The catheter is small, discreet, and made of a soft, comfortable material. Once the catheter is inserted, a medication port remains fastened to the patient’s abdomen or leg for repeated dosage.

“The Macy Catheter provides a ‘3:00 a.m. plan’ for hospice clinicians,” said Nargis Nardi, MSN, RN, CHPN®, WCC, Director of Clinical Development at Rainbow. “Nurses having the catheter on-hand allows for faster administration of medication to treat symptoms in end-of-life patients. This could possibly change the dying experience for many end-of-life patients in a positive way.”

This method of medication administration is an alternative to intravenous or subcutaneous infusion, which can often lead to infection and unnecessary pain for the transitioning patient. It also offers a beneficial alternative to suppositories—the port that remains outside the patient’s body allows for repeated dosage of medication, without the need to turn the patient and invade his or her privacy with each administration.

So far the use of the Macy Catheter® has been well-received with patients and families.