Many Can Benefit with the Use of Intermittent Catheters

Urinary incontinence affects about 25 million adult Americans, primarily women, and can be either transient or chronic. Catheters are used for several reasons. The most common cause is urinary retention or being unable to empty your bladder. 

Many older adults in long-term care facilities must use a catheter. About five to fifteen percent of long-term care facility residents have chronic urinary catheters in place.

Not everyone will need a catheter, but if you or a loved one must use one, you must understand what type of catheter you should use. While there are quite a few options, most people are best off with intermittent catheters.

Intermittent Catheterization Suitable for Many

The long-term use of intermittent catheterization is often suitable for individuals with voiding problems who maintain more independence and can perform self-care. The use of intermittent catheters can result in fewer urinary tract problems, the achievement of continence, and improved quality of life.

Intermittent catheterization has been in practice for more than 40 years and is considered the gold standard in managing urinary retention.

This can worry some people since they must change them multiple times daily. However, there are many benefits to using intermittent catheters for your incontinence issues. 

Easy to Use

The main reason why many people would rather use a catheter that comes with a urine bag is that they don’t have to change it out as often. However, the fact of the matter is that leg bags aren’t easy to deal with, and changing a catheter is pretty simple.

While putting in an intermittent catheter and pulling it back out might be a bit challenging initially, it’ll be like second nature in a few days. Plus, the individual can often deal with it independently, depending on their age and other health issues. Caregivers can usually help if someone is not entirely independent and needs additional assistance.

Catheters Allow for an Active Lifestyle

Because of this ease of use, intermittent catheters are perfect if someone desires to live an active lifestyle during this time. Leg bags and long tubes make many activities much more challenging to perform. With an intermittent catheter, you have virtually no limits on what you can do.

That means someone can still go to the gym with a catheter and keep up with their daily routines. All this allows a person to keep their independence, which only some with incontinence can maintain.

Not That Expensive

When people hear about a medical device you need to discard after each usage, the concern of expenses comes up. Luckily, one of the most notable benefits of intermittent catheters is that they’re very cheap.

They tend to come in very large packs that last you for a while and don’t hurt your wallet, even if you don’t have any insurance that’ll cover them. They’re certainly much cheaper than other catheter options.

Safe to Use

While no one would claim that any type of catheter is unsafe, intermittent ones are the safest options for avoiding troublesome infections. This is because other catheters stay inserted for much longer, increasing the chances of a urinary tract infection.

Since intermittent ones constantly need changing, they won’t be there long enough to cause an infection. So long as you wash your hands thoroughly before insertion, you’ll never have anything to worry about.

Urinary Problems and Aging

Acute urinary retention is common in older men, and the likelihood of experiencing acute urinary retention increases with age. Over a five-year period, approximately one in ten men over age 70 and almost one in three men in their 80s will develop acute urinary retention.

However, acute urinary retention is much less common in women. Each year, about three in 100,000 women develop acute urinary retention. Acute urinary retention in children is rare. Urinary incontinence and UTIs are much more common in women, but their need for catheters is less.

Aging issues in both men and women can complicate urinary problems. Those who require long-term health care often find that urination and holding their bladder a common problem that increases with age.