Evaluating the impact of a new clean intermittent self-catheterisation device: experiences of male patients

Urinary incontinence is common and has many causes. A main one is urinary retention, and clean intermittent self-catheterisation is the gold standard for managing it. There are, however, complications associated with performing this, which affect patient experience, quality of life and compliance with the procedure. The most common complication is urinary tract infection (UTI), which can be debilitating and have serious consequences. On average, patients experience 2.7 UTIs a year. Infection often arises from residual urine left behind, this can be caused by mucosal suction into catheter eyelets giving the impression that the bladder has finished emptying and leading to early withdrawal of the catheter. Mucosal suction by catheter eyelets can also lead to micro-trauma. Hydrophilic catheters have long been used to prevent micro-trauma. A catheter using Micro-hole Zone Technology instead of conventional two eyelets was developed with the aim of reducing UTI risk by addressing risk factors for bladder micro-trauma and incomplete voiding. A recent evaluation of Coloplast's Luja male intermittent catheter found that 97% of nurses would recommend Luja, 96% of nurses felt confident their patients will learn how to completely empty their bladder with Luja, and 88% of nurses were less worried that their patients are at risk of getting UTIs due to incomplete bladder emptying.