At Convatec, ‘forever caring’ is our promise to give patients and healthcare providers the support they need as we bring to life our vision of pioneering trusted medical solutions to improve the lives we touch.

Existing complications of traditional coated hydrophilic Intermittent Catheters

Clean intermittent self-catheterisation (CISC), while straightforward for some, can be both difficult and painful for others.

• 40% of participants affirmed “I have pain (the catheterisation is painful)”.¹
• CISC can also cause trauma to the urethra and result in bleeding.²
• 31% of people using hydrophilic coated catheters had blood in their urine, potentially higher than in uncoated catheters.²

In a recent ‘Guide to intermittent catheterisation technology’ supplement published by the British Journal of Nursing, pharmaceutical science lecturers from Queen’s University Belfast stated:

“A significant problem, noted anecdotally and in the literature, is catheter-coating dry-out³.

Hydrophilic-coated catheters are normally provided in packaging containing a hydrating fluid or supplied with a hydrating pouch for use prior to insertion. Once fully hydrated, they remain wet and lubricious for a relatively short amount of time only (5–20 minutes). As hydration falls below 75%, the coating loses its lubricious properties and becomes adhesive, tending to stick to the urethral mucosa⁴. Correspondingly, the increased force and friction on catheter withdrawal has been reported to cause trauma⁵, microtrauma and urethrorrhagia⁶.

It has been reported that almost one third of patients using hydrophilic-coated catheters were found to have haematuria, while 40% reported pain associated with catheter use. Persistent urethral bleeding is common with ICs, occurring in 11–28% of users^6,7,8. Furthermore, the delicate epithelial lining of the urethra forms the first line of innate immune defence against pathogens, so any injury could increase the likelihood of urinary tract infection (UTI).

ICs have been associated with development of trauma-induced urinary strictures, known to increase a patient’s risk of developing a UTI^9,10.”

Innovative Catheter Technology

We have not seen any significant changes in catheter technology since the 1980s, when the first hydrophilic catheter was launched. Until now.

We would like to introduce you to FeelClean Technology, Convatec’s unique, patented catheter technology delivering a smooth, easy cathing experience with products that do not stick^10,11.

Our GentleCath Glide and new, compact GentleCath Air range of catheters incorporate this pioneering FeelClean Technology designed to make the task of CISC an easier and more comfortable experience.

90% of users rated GentleCath with FeelClean Technology better than their usual catheter for comfort during use.¹²

So what makes FeelClean Technology different? Unlike traditional coated hydrophilic catheters, we have integrated the water-loving, hydrophilic properties within the catheter material itself – so your patients can enjoy no sticking, reduced residue^10,11 and relief whenever they cath.

What do our customers think of GentleCath with FeelClean Technology catheters?

“The catheter is significantly better on removal. Pain is significantly reduced for patients who catheterise regularly.” Rachel Skews,Urology Nurse Practitioner, North Bristol NHS Trust

“I have tried several different catheters. With other catheters, the hydrophilic coating is sticky, and I found that when withdrawing those catheters, it left a residue in my urethra and I was getting UTIs.  When I discovered GentleCath catheters, I was so happy, I cried. I have been using GentleCath for 18 months now and my infections have significantly decreased.” Alison Hodgson, Ex Nurse & MS Patient, Wolverhampton

A seamless service for your patients with Amcare Group DAC

For over 30 years, the Amcare Group has provided support to people living with a variety of medical conditions. We pride ourselves on offering a first-class personalised delivery service.

As your prescription partner, we offer a reliable, convenient, and discreet service direct to your patient’s door.

Once you have prescribed GentleCath for your patients, register them with Amcare for an easy, seamless service. We will take care of everything and support your patients through the next steps of their journey with intermittent catheters.

Why choose us?

• We have a team of professionals available 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am-1pm on Saturday to answer your patients’ questions.
• We handle your patients’ prescription requests for them, so they don’t have to worry. We offer a no-fuss, personalised care plan and make sure we are delivering supplies on time, every time.
• If a user is unhappy with their catheter, our team of Product Specialist experts will offer advice or help you select alternative options from a huge variety of product choices.
• With the ‘Follow my Parcel’ app, our delivery partner DPD enables users to arrange the best possible discreet delivery experience.
• Amcare is currently rated 4.1 (Great) on Trustpilot by our customers.

Convatec. Healthcare is changing. So are we.

Find out more about GentleCath intermittent catheters, visit: www.gentlecath.com/uk

Find out more about Amcare Group, visit: www.amcaregroup.co.uk

© 2022 ConvaTec. /® are trademarks of the ConvaTec group of companies. AP-61414-GBR

References:

1. Roberson D, Newman DK, Ziemba JB, Wein A, Stambakio H, Hamilton RG, Callender L, Holderbaum L, King T, Jackson A, Tran T, Lin G, Smith AL. Results of the patient report of intermittent catheterisation experience (price) study. Neurourol Urodyn. 2021 Sep 13.Irwin NJ, McCoy CP, McCullough AR, Corbett DJ. Use of in vitro and haptic assessments in the characterisation of surface lubricity. J Engin Med. 2019;233(1):84–90.
2. Rognoni C, Tarricone R. Intermittent catheterisation with hydrophilic and non hydrophilic urinary catheters: systematic literature review and meta-analyses. BMC Urol. 2017 Jan 10;17(1):4.
3. Guldager PM, Fredskilde KW, Nalbandian MT. Intermittent urinary catheter. Google Patents; 2019.
4. Vaidyanathan S, Krishnan KR, Soni BM, Fraser MH. Unusual complications of intermittent self-catheterisation in spinal cord injury patients. Spinal Cord. 1996;34(12):745–7.
5. Humphreys O, Pickering M, O’Cearbhaill ED, Flanagan TC. A biomimetic urethral model to evaluate urinary catheter lubricity and epithelial micro-trauma. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2020;108:103792.
6. Webb R, Lawson AL, Neal D. Clean intermittent self-catheterisation in 172 adults. Br J Urol. 1990;65(1):20–3.
7. Bakke A, Vollset SE, Høisæter PÅ, Irgens LM. Physical complications in patients treated with clean intermittent catheterization. Scand J Urol Nephrol. 1993;27(1):55–61
8. Santucci RA, Joyce GF Wise M. Male Urethral Stricture Disease. The Journal of Urology, Vol. 177, No. 5, 2007, pp. 1667-1674.
9. Krebs J, Wöllner J, Pannek J. Urethral strictures in men with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction using intermittent catheterization for bladder evacuation. Spinal Cord. 2015;53(4):310–313.
10. WHRI6933 TA 1369 FeelClean Phase 1 Report.
11. WHRI7131 TA 1486 v2.
12. A Multi-Centre Clinical Investigation to Assess the Performance of GentleCath Glide Intermittent Catheters. Study U378 GentleCath Glide Final Report. July 2018. Data on File. ConvaTec Inc.

The post Convatec. Healthcare is changing. So are we. appeared first on Bladder & Bowel UK.

I’m a born, bred and buttered Bristolian. I love the city of my birth and invest my time in it as a volunteer tour guide. If you wish to learn about our city’s world icon, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, then I can take you on a tour. And I know Clifton, the suburb John Betjeman described as the ‘handsomest suburb of Europe’, its facades studded with commemorative plaques honouring notable past residents. During lockdown, I devised three Clifton walks, each one themed on about twenty plaques.

So, as a reasonably fit 74-year-old (BMI = 27), I kept myself busy and was fulfilled. I was slightly perplexed at gaining weight last year and had to buy shirts in a larger size but assumed it was the effect of my metabolism slowing as I aged.

Retention

Then, last August I had a sudden painful blockage. Dialled 111 and was granted access to my GP. He scanned my tummy and diagnosed urinary retention. He referred me to the nearby 900-bed super hospital. A catheter was fitted, and 1.75 litres drained from my bladder. My tummy subsided and I felt less bloated but was intensely aware of this valve protruding from my penis. It just seemed unreal and somewhat alien. A nurse described my situation to me, handed me a supply of day and night bags along with a catheter passport containing basic details of my condition, and sent me home.

So, in the space of a few hours my life had changed. But no, it hadn’t. Admittedly, it was tedious connecting a night bag to the day bag and having restricted movement in bed, but surely, I could continue daytime life as usual? I sought to do just that and continued with the suspension bridge tours, even taking participants into the ‘belly of the beast’ – the vaulted chambers beneath one of the towers. It required descending a vertical ladder and negotiating narrow shafts between vaults. I could handle all these obstacles, and they provided a welcome diversion for me. In contrast, I found that much of my time at home was devoted to pondering on my condition.

Disconnection

But I experienced discomfort. And the bag tube sometimes became disconnected from the valve and there was leakage. I could cope with wetting myself at home, but I was determined to lead a completely normal existence in the wider world. I phoned the hospital’s urology department and explained that I needed to get to Cardiff for a meeting and was at risk of wetting myself. Could I drop by for some tuition on rigging my plumbing system? They granted me priority and a nurse showed me how to ‘wear’ the leg bag, secure the catheter valve with tape and arrange a broad strap around my thigh to keep everything in place. It worked. The Cardiff meeting involved lots of walking around to assess a building and throughout, I was able to function fully.

As for the Clifton plaques walks, I realised that my leg bag would be quite full and would start to form a visible bulb shape on my calf. The remedy was to limit the walk to two hours’ maximum and then head straight for home. I considered the van driver’s solution of an empty lemonade bottle stowed in my car but thought better of it. And in the event, it wouldn’t have been necessary.

A tubular support bandage on my thigh was invaluable. It held the tube in place midway. And it ensured that any movement above or below the bandage was not transferred.

D-I-Y Catheterisation 

I was approached about self-catheterisation, and I found it difficult to understand the need for it. I have been prescribed tamsulosin for 15 years and for all that time I have urinated very, very regularly. Why would I need to manually drain my bladder – it was perfectly able to do it for me on an all-too-regular basis? And the actual procedure sounded really invasive, requiring a sanitised environment. Perhaps I ought to have investigated it further, but as the weeks went on, there was increasing sensitivity at the end of my penis where the tube emerged. Also, bladder spasms caused voiding where urine was discharged via my penis as well as the tube. I experienced painful stinging when this occurred. All this reinforced my reluctance to explore the self-catheterisation route.

For general comfort, a good solution was to cut a little square of towel material and position it around my penis to act as an absorbent cushion. If I had a bladder spasm it would soak up the discharge. The ideal material for this is a super absorbent dish cloth. Just cut it to a hanky size, fold it over and tuck it into your underpants.

By December I was experiencing regular blockages of my catheter and had three procedures at the hospital in which a syringe filled with saline solution was used to clear the blockage. Then I was given my own supply of syringes and performed the procedure at home until this Dynorod-style method was no longer effective and the catheter had to be replaced.

Resection

By now I was keen to discuss the way forward. I booked an appointment with a consultant and he advised me that my large, 1,000ml prostate presented a challenge to operate on with a transurethral resection procedure (TURP). But he’d tackled larger than mine and offered to perform the operation. It would not be a 45-minute, in-and-out in a day procedure, but a two-and-a-half hour one, requiring a three-day stay.

In January, I found myself under general anaesthetic and at the mercy of the surgeon’s resectoscope. Since then, I am catheter-free, have experienced no pain and I have the bladder flow of a teenager. So, the future is looking rosy – or I should say straw-coloured, as that is now the colour of my urine, which is as it should be?

A comment by the surgeon at the initial consultation resonates. I described my various volunteering activities in order to underline my strong need to regain my normal life. He thought I showed stoicism to stay active despite the restrictions which a catheter imposed. His patients were often dismayed at the state they found themselves in. For them, their situation meant a major lifestyle change.

Self-realisation 

I have written this account of my ‘journey’ – a personal case study – in the hope that it will be instructive to others. I wish that I had read an account like it back in August.

Some closing thoughts: is there a need for more dialogue among men about catheters? A lively cross-pollination of ideas and practical advice about this sudden situation that we find ourselves in?

Was I my own worst enemy: did I overdo things and create problems with my catheter by being overactive during my twenty-one weeks with external plumbing?

Is there a ‘standard’ routine for life with a catheter which we can measure ourselves against? Or is each patient unique?

Let the discussion begin!

Gordon Young

Get in touch with us

Bladder & Bowel UK have information about a wide range of bladder and bowel conditions for children and for adults on our website. For free confidential advice and support please contact our helpline via the webform or on phone number 0161 214 4591.

The post Living a life, despite having a catheter: a personal story appeared first on Bladder & Bowel UK.