Urinary Catheter Guide

Resources, Tips, and Medical Product Reviews for Urinary Catheters

Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections are the source of the suffering of patients, extended costs, and more frequent hospital care for many patients.  In fact, CAUTIs have been on the rise in hospitals for years now.

Medline’s new catheter tray helps to improve the process of cathing patients to help prevent the costly ($4.5 – 6.65 billion dollar) healthcare-associated UTIs from cathing, most of which is due to incorrect procedure in the cathing process.  CAUTIS stand for about 40% of all healthcare-associated infections.

So whats the big idea?  Medline’s new ERASE CAUTI system helps prevent these catheter infections by helping to streamline the process of correct cathing.  Here are some of the new additions:

Photo Illustrations of Tray Contents - Easy and clear instructions for nurses and health care professionals to know exactly how to use the tray.  This is helpful not only for the health care professional, but also explaining the catheter and the tray components to the patient.

Checklist of Procedures – The instructions with the system come with a checklist of procedures for the catheter tray.  Using a checklist dramatically reduces the number of procedural errors in health care; likewise, following correct procedures can dramatically reduce incidents of incorrect cathing and infections.

Patient Education Cards – Included with the tray are materials to educate the patient for the bedside care they are receiving.  The cards are an easy, useful way of providing this information to patients.

One-Layer Tray Design – The simple design of the tray allows the caretaker to follow an easy, straightforward process that leaves little room for variance (and error).  The sequence of events followed using the ERASE CAUTI system follows the instructions from start to finish.  This helps make patient care efficient and accurate.

Visit Medline’s Website for More.

The New Jersey-based UroValve has been granted Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval for their product, the Surinate Bladder Management System, which means clinical studies will begin according to this Press Release from Urovalve.

Surinate is an ingenious urinary catheter designed for men who suffer from urine retention. Urine retention can be caused from a number of conditions in aging men, the most common being enlarged prostates (BPH) which create urine retention, urge incontinence, and overactive bladder issues.

Many men try drugs, incontinence products such as diapers and external catheters to help manage episodes. Men who can’t do these – or choose not to – will suffer through intermittent catheterization up to 6 times a day to drain their bladder.

The Surniate Catheter isn’t just a catheter, it’s actually a valve system that is far superior to other catheters on the market for these men. Here’s why:

Surniate keeps an open flow from the bladder to the external sphincter (just below the prostate) with a valve system easily controlled with an external magnet. The catheter valves keep the flow turned off until the wearer uses a small magnet externally to “switch” the valve’s position internally, just below the prostate, allowing the urine to flow out. When the magnet is pulled away, the valve shuts again and prevents the urine from flowing out.

• Less catheterization – The Surniate valve system can be work up to 28 days before replaced, as opposed to 4-6 times per day with traditional Intermittent/Foley catherers.
• Easier to Drain – The device allows one to function like normal; scheduling bathroom times and easily draining the bladder without unnecessary cathing and risk of UTIs and unnecessary discomfort.

To find out more about this new technology now undergoing clinical trials including a video, see Urovalve’s Technology page.

When seeking the ideal catheter, safety and cleanliness are the first and foremost concerns.  But if you can provide safety and cleanliness with quick and easy application and then also make the device as portable and discreet as possible, you’ve got a urinary catheter that is far superior to other catheters.

There are many challenges to developing such a product.  For instance, since catheters need to be hydrated and lubed for insertion, they often require additional lube.  Next, it needs to be fool-proof sterile, meaning packaged in such a way that it’s obvious to the user if the sterility has been compromised.  They also need to be in the right size and materials to protect the urethra and bladder from discomfort and damage.   Then, you’re faced with the challenges of packaging such a product so it’s portable, safe, and easy.

For those active women who are on the go – working, traveling, moving around on a daily basis – there’s always demand for improvements in managing urological needs.  Most urinary catheters are cumbersome and packing full length catheters along with lubes to carry with us on a daily basis is not the way we want to live our lives.

Coloplast delivers in all of these areas with the most convenient Intermittent Urinary Catheter yet, the SpeediCath Compact.  Designed especially for the active woman, the SpeediCath provides superior application when compared to other catheters.

SpeediCath is at the proper length for insertion into the female urethra for catheterization, so by design it eliminates potential harm.  It has an ultra-smooth texture that is pre-lubricated with a sterile saline solution.  The compact design looks similar in size and shape to a lipstick or lipgloss container and discreetly fits in a purse with your other purse goodies.

Since this catheter is “all inclusive”, there’s no need to carry around more supplies for a proper cath.  Simply use a SpeediCath by twisting it open, pulling out the pre-lubed tip while holding the easy grip handle and insert.  Once finished, place the catheter tube back into its container, discard, and go about your day.

Coloplast’s latest addition to their line of catheters for women makes using a urinary catheter far more convenient than regular catheters.  It makes application fast and easy with the added benefit of portability and discreetness unmatched by any other female intermittent catheter on the market.

SpeediCath costs more than the standard fare of standard silicone urinary catheters, so it’s probably not the only catheter you’ll want to have around.  If your cathing on a regular basis, costs add up quickly, so you will likely want to keep cheaper urinary catheters at home where it’s easier and more comfortable for cathing and the extra discretion isn’t necessary.   But for those prone to cathing in public places or in need of quick and painless cathing, pack a few SpeediCath Compact tubes in your purse before you go about your day and you’ll be glad you did.