Why is bladder microtrauma a problem for ISC users?

A compromised bladder wall (epithelium) gives bacteria easy access to enter the epithelial cells and raises the risk of UTIs.1

How do conventional catheters cause bladder microtrauma?

Mucosal suction is common when using conventional eyelet catheters1. The drainage of urine creates negative pressure inside the catheter that leads to the bladder mucosa getting sucked into the catheter eyelet in an abrupt and vigorous manner. This stops the urine flow, necessitating catheter repositioning, which may lead to scraping of the bladder mucosa.2

The mucosal suction raises concerns for potential microtrauma, considering that 4–6 catheterisations are performed by an ISC user daily.2

Conventional eyelet catheters

Eyelet blockage due to mucosal suction
Repositioning required

Click on the video to see how tissue gets sucked into the catheter eyelets of conventional catheters.4

Tissue gets sucked into the catheter eyelets / 0.33 min