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Updated: Dec 7, 2025
An In Vitro Bladder Model of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection
Published on: June 24, 2025
The evidence supporting single-use intermittent catheters in people with spinal cord injury
Peter Wayne New1,2,3,4
1Spinal Rehabilitation Service, Caulfield Hospital, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. p.new@alfred.org.au.
Insights
Single-use intermittent catheters (IMC) offer better health outcomes and patient preference for neurogenic bladder management compared to reusable options. Further research is needed to optimize reusable catheter practices.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Nephrology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Intermittent catheterization (IMC) is the standard for managing neurogenic bladder voiding dysfunction.
- Historically, both reusable and single-use catheters have been employed for IMC.
- Each method presents distinct perceived benefits and drawbacks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the health outcomes and patient preferences associated with single-use versus reusable intermittent catheters.
- To identify areas for future research in intermittent catheterization practices.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing evidence comparing single-use and reusable intermittent catheterization.
- Analysis of reported health outcomes, including infection rates and urethral trauma.
- Consideration of patient-reported preferences and experiences.
Main Results:
- Considerable evidence supports single-use IMC being linked to improved health outcomes.
- Single-use catheters are associated with a reduced risk of urinary tract infections and urethral trauma.
- Patients generally express a preference for single-use catheters, though reusable options have acknowledged advantages.
Conclusions:
- Single-use intermittent catheters appear to be associated with superior health outcomes and patient satisfaction.
- Further research is warranted, focusing on the cleaning and storage of reusable catheters and direct comparative trials.
- Challenges exist in conducting robust research comparing reusable and single-use intermittent catheterization methods.
Abstract:
Intermittent catheterization (IMC) is the accepted evidence-based best practice for bladder management in people with voiding dysfunction due to neurogenic bladder. The two methods for performing IMC over the decades since this practice was introduced are reuse and single-use catheters. There are perceived advantages and disadvantages of each method of performing IMC. There is considerable evidence that single-use IMC is associated with better health outcomes, including reduced risk of urinary tract infection, urethral trauma, and quality of life. People performing IMC also indicate a preference for single-use, although there are advantages of reuse that need to be acknowledged. Ideally, further research is needed in this area, particularly around the washing and storage of reuse catheters, as well as an adequately powered multicenter RCT comparing reuse with single-use IMC, but there are numerous challenges associated with progressing this research.
