A catheter is a thin tube made of medical-grade materials that serve a variety of purposes in medicine. Catheters are medical instruments that may be implanted into the body to cure infections or to conduct surgery. Formally defined paraphrase Catheterization refers to the method of placing a catheter. Catheter users often request the suppliers to transport catheter supplies without drawing attention to them. There are easily available catheter supplies in Australia fulfilling your catheter needs.
What Are The Types of Urinary Catheters?
There are a few different types of urinary catheters. And, while it may be frightening, challenging, and daunting at first after you master the technique, it will become a habit, much like any other everyday activity.
1. Indwelling Catheter
An indwelling catheter is a catheter that remains within the body for an extended length of time. There are two kinds of indwelling catheters. A urethral indwelling catheter is one that is implanted through the urethra through the bladder, while a suprapubic indwelling catheter is one that is inserted directly into the bladder through the stomach. For long-term usage, they are often updated every month or every other month.
2. Intermittent Catheters
Users are taught how to catheterize themselves, which is a simple procedure that most people can do, even children of seven-eight years too. Catheterization is performed between 4-6 times a day, at the same intervals as you would usually go to the bathroom.
Intermittent urinary catheters are classified into two types: non-hydrophilic catheters, which are uncoated, and hydrophilic intermittent catheters, which are covered with a slick surface to facilitate insertion and removal.
What Is The Need For Catheters?
A catheter could be recommended by your doctor if you:
- You have no control over when you urinate.
- Suffer from urinary retention
- Suffer from urinary incontinence
Reasons you are not able to urinate on your own can include:
- Surgery in the genital region, such as a hip fracture reconstruction or hysterectomy damage to the bladder nerves.
- Spinal cord injury etc.
What Are The Complications Of Urinary Catheters?
Indwelling urinary catheters are the main source of healthcare-associated urinary tract infections. As a result, it is important to disinfect catheters on a regular basis to avoid contamination.
A UTI can cause the following symptoms:
- Fever, chills, and headache
- Cloudy urine caused by pus.
- Burning of the urethra or genital area
Other complications associated with using a urinary catheter include:
- Allergic response to the catheter’s substance, such as latex
- Bladder stones blood in the urine
- Urethral infection
- Kidney harm (with long-term indwelling catheters)
- Septicemia, or urinary bladder, lung, or blood poisoning
There are both single-use and reusable catheters available. To minimize the chance of a UTI with reusable catheters, disinfect both the catheter and the region where it reaches the body with soap and water. Since one-time usage catheters are packaged in sterile packaging, only the body has to be cleaned before inserting the catheter. Drink lots of water as well to keep the urine clean or just partially yellow. This will aid in the prevention of infection.