Review Article: Urethral Catheters and Catheterization Techniques (original) (raw)

Review Article IntroductIon Urinary catheters are one of the most commonly used medical devices in clinical practice. [1] They have been used for over 3500 years to drain the urinary bladder when it fails to empty or for other indications. [2] In the United States of America alone, an estimated 30 million indwelling urethral catheters are sold yearly, and about 20% of hospitalized patients have a urethral catheter inserted at any given moment. [3] A urinary catheter is a tube inserted from the external urethral meatus to the bladder to drain urine from the bladder. [4] It can be used for the short term, especially in the perioperative period. Still, it can also be used long term, especially when managing people with urinary incontinence or chronic urine retention. [4] Globally, the commonly used catheter is the Foley catheter invented by an American urologist named Frederic Foley. [5] However, there are several types of urinary catheters, and their use is determined primarily by the indication for urinary catheterization. Under ideal conditions, a urinary catheter that is 100% silicone can remain in situ for up to about 12 weeks. This, however, is often not feasible due to encrustation and bacterial infection that can block the catheter or result in a medical complication. [5] Although urethral catheterization is a standard procedure performed by many cadres of health workers, it may be associated with some complications and thus may be the cause of litigations and medical malpractice consequent on certain complications that may arise such as urethral stricture, urinary tract infection, urethral erosion, sepsis, and urethral injuries. [6] MaterIals and Methods A review of the international literature was conducted using PubMed database and Google Search, using keywords such as "urethral catheter materials and types," "catheterisation techniques and complications," "difficult urethral catheterizations," "retained urethral catheter," "catheter-associated urethral Background: The urethral catheter is an essential medical device that is used in everyday medical practice worldwide. The urethral catheter has evolved over the years with several modifications and improvements to overcome the shortcomings of previous productions. With several indications, it remains one of the most commonly used devices traversing almost all specialties in the field of medicine; however, the process of urethral catheterization is occasionally challenging and may result in injury to the urethra. The attendant complications following its passage far outweigh its cost and the required skills to necessitate appropriate insertion. Knowledge of the type of urethral catheter, training with regard to its insertion, care while in situ, and competency of the attendant caregivers are required for safe catheterization. Aim: This review aims to disseminate knowledge on urethral catheter types, insertion procedures, and its attendant complications so that doctors and other health-care professionals may safely perform this necessary procedure. Materials and Methods: A review of internatinal literature was conducted using PubMed database and goggle search using key words such as urethral catheter materials and types. Result: 105 articles were identified and found suitable for the study.