Guide To Using Intermittent Catheters

Those who have limited control of their bladder or who have a spinal cord injury use intermittent catheterization. Most people who have spinal cord problems have very little or absolutely no feeling from the waist down. That means that they don’t know when they have to void their bladder. To stop incontinence problems, a patient has to use a catheter to empty their bladder. Due to the fact it’s used frequently more than once a day, intermittent catheters have to be cleaned as well as sterilized so that it prevents urinary tract infections. These are serious infections that can be fatal if the infection gets into the blood. Below you will find out how to clean the catheters properly.

There are a lot of cleaning products that you can buy to kill germs. The first thing that you should do is to wipe down the area of the sink using a cleaning product that is going to kill the germs. Next you will dry the area using a clean washcloth or towel. Now, put a face towel that is clean on the area that you just cleaned, putting alcohol, a paper towel, and cotton balls on the towel.

Put on a pair of clean gloves. Take the dirty catheter and clean it thoroughly in warm and soapy water. Be sure that the inside of it is cleaned as well as the outside. Rinse it out and ensure that there isn’t any urine left in it. Make a fresh batch of soapy, warm water and wash it once again, then rinse it again.

Shake the excess water out of the catheter and off the catheter’s outside as well. Put it on the paper towel so that it can dry. Change your gloves and soak one of your cotton balls with some alcohol. When the catheter is dry, wipe it with the cotton ball, going from the top of it to the bottom.

Put the catheter into a paper bag and then fold the bag’s top down. This is going to stop the germs from going into the bag and let the catheter dry longer. Now the catheter is ready to use when it’s needed. When it needs to be reused, pull it out of the bag using clean gloves so that it’s not contaminated again. It’s possible to wash and reuse the catheter for up to 7 days, but no more than that.