Assessment and treatment of patients who may require intermittent catheterisation

Remember: each catheter company has a corresponding instruction book which should always be used when teaching patients.

There are various types of intermittent catheters available:

Catheter type	Reasons for use
Self-lubricating hydrophilic-coated catheters	Bladder emptying Stricture therapy
Pre-lubricated gel catheters (non touch technique catheters)	Bladder emptying Stricture therapy Recurrent urine infections Nursing staff/carer performing ISC/ISD
Ready to use lubricated catheters	Bladder emptying Stricture therapy Recurrent urine infections

Pre-lubricated or hydrophilic

of which there are many types:

• Pre-lubricated catheters are single use only - is used once then discarded.
• Single use catheters are recommended as they have shown to reduce urethral friction and associated complication that is evident with reusable PVC catheters¹.

Plain nelaton (PVC) catheter (no longer on formulary)

• Can be used for up to one week before discarded.
• Patients who have carried out intermittent catheterisation for many years may still be using this type of catheter.

Where the patient prefers to continue using a nelaton catheter in spite of best practice recommending a single use catheter then they should be made aware of the following. They must be instructed to clean the catheter under running water, shake, and dry on the outside with a paper towel, as per manufacturers guidelines and then store in a single use clean plastic bag².