Catheter for Urinary Relief: Understanding Purposes, Variants, and Potential Experiences
Long-term use of urinary catheters, including intermittent, indwelling, and external types, can lead to a range of complications, primarily related to infections, tissue injury, and functional issues.
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are a major concern with all catheter types, as bacteria can enter the urinary system via the catheter, potentially causing infections of the urethra, bladder, and even kidneys. Symptoms include pain during urination, blood or cloudy urine, fever, chills, foul-smelling urine, and frequent urge to urinate.
Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections (CRBSI) are particularly significant in long-term indwelling catheters, such as those used in hemodialysis. These infections, caused mainly by bacterial invasion, can lead to serious metastatic infections like endocarditis, with high mortality rates.
Intermittent catheterization can cause microtrauma to the lining of the urinary tract, leading to discomfort and potential tissue damage over time. Mechanical complications, such as catheter dysfunction due to fibrin sheath formation or thrombosis, are also common in long-term indwelling catheters.
Long-term catheter use can lead to the formation of bladder stones, increased risk of bladder cancer, and kidney damage due to chronic infection or obstruction caused by the catheter. Urethral strictures, a narrowing of the urethra, are a possible side effect of using intermittent catheters in people who insert their own catheters repeatedly over many months.
To reduce the risk of developing a catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI), a person should wash their hands thoroughly, keep the skin around the catheter entrance clean, ensure urine collection bags are kept below the level of the bladder, and avoid lying on the catheter.
A urinary catheter is a flexible tube used to drain urine from the bladder. A healthcare provider may insert a urinary catheter to accurately measure urine output in critically ill people, to drain the bladder before, during, or after surgery, during childbirth, to drain the woman's bladder after an epidural anesthetic, to deliver medication directly into a person's bladder, for treating a person with urinary incontinence if other treatments have not been successful.
Some males have the option of using an external catheter, a condom-like device that fits over the penis and collects urine into a drainage bag. External catheters are less likely to cause discomfort and UTIs compared to indwelling catheters.
People using a urinary catheter can carry out most of their regular activities, but they should consult their doctor about resuming work, exercise, or sex. Hematuria, or the presence of red blood cells in the urine, is a possible side effect of using an intermittent catheter.
Suprapubic catheters, which are surgically inserted through a small hole a few inches below the belly button, are less likely to cause infections than urethral catheters. However, patients may experience pain and discomfort with long-term use of indwelling catheters.
In summary, long-term use of urinary catheters commonly results in infections (UTIs and bloodstream infections), mechanical and tissue damage, and risks to the bladder and kidneys. Proper hygiene, catheter care, and monitoring are critical to minimizing these risks.
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are a major concern with all types of urinary catheters due to potential bacterial entry and subsequent infections of the urethra, bladder, or kidneys.
- Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections (CRBSI) are particularly significant in long-term indwelling catheters and can lead to serious metastatic infections like endocarditis with high mortality rates.
- Long-term catheter use can result in the formation of bladder stones, increased risk of bladder cancer, kidney damage, and urethral strictures, especially with intermittent catheterization.
- To reduce the risk of developing a catheter-associated UTI, guidelines recommend washing hands thoroughly, keeping the catheter entrance clean, ensuring urine collection bags are below the level of the bladder, and avoiding lying on the catheter.
- Suprapubic catheters, while less likely to cause infections than urethral catheters, can still cause pain and discomfort with long-term use of indwelling catheters, and many medical conditions, such as urinary incontinence, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), may warrant the use of urinary catheters under proper medical supervision and adherence to health-and-wellness practices for minimal risks.
