Back to the guide
PathwayDraft: not yet reviewed by the clinical team

Nephrostomy tube

When urine cannot drain out of a kidney, a nephrostomy gives it another way out: a thin, soft tube through the skin of your back into the kidney. It is usually done while you are awake, with numbing medicine and medicine to help you relax, and it eases the pressure right away.

The short version

  1. Something is blocking the tube that carries urine from your kidney to your bladder, so urine is backing up and the kidney is swelling.
  2. A nephrostomy is a thin, soft tube that goes through the skin of your back into the kidney, so the urine can drain into a bag outside your body.
  3. You lie face down and usually stay awake, with numbing medicine and medicine to help you relax. The doctor uses ultrasound and X-ray to guide a needle, a wire and then the tube.

When to get help

Call 9-1-1 now if you have:
  • Breathing very fast.
  • Confusion, slurred speech, or not making sense.
  • Blue, pale or blotchy skin.
  • A very high or very low temperature, feeling hot or cold to the touch, or shivering.
  • A rash that does not fade when you press it.
  • Heavy bleeding from the tube or from the skin around it.
  • Anything else that feels like an emergency.
Call the interventional radiology (IR) team today if you have:
  • The tube falls out or slips. Cover the hole with a clean dressing first.
  • No urine comes into the bag.
  • Fever or chills.
  • Bright red urine, like beet juice, or blood in the urine after the first few days.
  • New or worse pain in your back or side.
  • Urine leaking around the tube.
  • Redness, swelling, pus or a bad smell where the tube goes in.
  • Cloudy or bad-smelling urine.
  • Throwing up.
  • The stitch or pad is pulling away from your skin.

IR team phone: added by the hospital before launch After hours, or if you can’t reach them: go to the nearest emergency department.

Not sure? Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1, any time, day or night. You are not sure how urgent something is. You cannot reach the IR team. You have a question that is not urgent, like mild skin irritation under the tape.

See it step by step on a 3D model

Open the full guide to see the procedure step by step, what to expect before and after, and questions to ask your doctor.

Web address: added before launch

QR code Added once the site has its final address

General information, not medical advice. Your care team knows your situation and makes decisions with you.

Pathway P-005 · Nephrostomy handout · Version 0.5 · 14 October 2026 · Draft