Penile Erosion in a Paraplegic Man With Indwelling Urinary Catheter and Scrotal Edema

The chronic use of urinary indwelling catheters is a common practice in the setting of long-term patient care and is associated with numerous complications. More awareness about urogenital trauma from urinary catheterization is needed, as it is as common as symptomatic urinary tract infections. There are a number of preventable measures that can be taken to decrease the risk of mechanical trauma to the urethra and glans penis caused by chronic catheterization. We present a case of a 27-year old paraplegic male needing a chronic indwelling catheter that acquired ventral penile erosion while being cared for in the ICU setting.