Outcome comparison of different approaches to self-intermittent catheterization in neurogenic patients: a systematic...

Systematic review (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA); http://www.prisma-statement.org).

Different types of catheters and techniques have been described in the past three decades to identify the best self-intermittent catheterization method. Our aim is to review systematically the literature on the most appropriate material and technique to perform self-intermittent catheterization in the adult neurogenic population.

A systematic review search was performed through PubMed/Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases to study all types of self-intermittent catheters, and analyzing their impact on urinary tract infections (UTIs), urethral trauma, cost-effectiveness, quality of life and patient's satisfaction. We used the following keywords: 'intermittent catheterization/catheterisation', 'neurogenic', 'urinary catheters for intermittent use' and 'urethral catheterization/catheterisation' published by November 2015.

After screening 3768 articles, 31 were included in the final synthesis (level of evidence 1b to 2b). The 2188 trial participants were mainly spinal cord injury adults and women with multiple sclerosis. Hydrophilic-coated catheters tended to decrease the incidence of UTI as well as urethral trauma and improve patient's satisfaction when compared with non-hydrophilic-coated catheters. Similarly, prelubricated catheters were associated with better results in terms of patient satisfaction. Sterile technique seemed to decrease the incidence of recurrent UTI; however, these results are counter-balanced by significantly increasing cost compared with clean catheterization.

The present review demonstrated advantages of hydrophilic-coated catheters in decreasing risk of UTI and urethral trauma as well as improving patient's satisfaction. Prelubricated catheters has been shown to be superior to conventional polyvinyl chloride catheters. Randomized controlled trials comparing hydrophilic and prelubricated catheters must be conducted to assess possible superiority and cost-effectiveness.