Urethral Health - The First Line of Defense
A healthy urethra is important in UTI prevention.
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Cells lining a healthy urethra provide two levels of defense against invading bacteria2,3:
- A physical barrier stops bacteria from invading.
- Immunological molecules destroy bacteria, remove infected cells and prevent adhesion to the cell wall.
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Damage from repeated catheter use can weaken the urethral defense, increasing the risk of UTIs.5,6
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Repeated catheter use causes irritation and damage to the soft urethral tissue
- This irritation allows bacteria to colonize the space created between cells causing UTIs
"If you think about [people] using these products multiple times a day. So this pain, this discomfort, this micro trauma is happening multiple times a day."
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Jane Burns
Research Fellow and Pharmacist, Queen’s University Belfast
FCT CTA Feature Highlight
GentleCath™ with FeelClean Technology™ provides the solution
GentleCath™ with FeelClean Technology™ is the first and only catheter where the slippery hydrophilic properties are integrated inside the catheter itself rather than having a sticky coating.
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References: *Pollard D, Allen D, Irwin N J, Moore J V, McClelland N, McCoy C P. Evaluation of an Integrated Amphiphilic Surfactant as an Alternative to Traditional Polyvinylpyrrolidone Coatings for Hydrophilic Intermittent Urinary Catheters. Biotribology. 2022;32(Dec 2022):100223. **In vitro data on file 1. Engberg S, Clapper J, McNichol L, Thompson D, Welch VW, Gray M. Current Evidence Related to Intermittent Catheterization: A Scoping Review. J Wound Ostomy Cont Nurs Off Publ Wound Ostomy Cont Nurses Soc. 2020;47(2):140-165. doi:10.1097/WON.0000000000000625 2. Jafari NV, Rohn JL. The urothelium: a multi-faceted barrier against a harsh environment. Mucosal Immunol. 2022;15(6):1127-1142. doi:10.1038/s41385-022-00565-0 3. Khandelwal P, Abraham SN, Apodaca G. Cell biology and physiology of the uroepithelium. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2009;297(6):F1477-1501. doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00327.2009 4. Abraham SN, Miao Y. The nature of immune responses to urinary tract infections. Nat Rev Immunol. 2015;15(10):655-663. doi:10.1038/nri3887 5. Werneburg GT. Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: Current Challenges and Future Prospects. Res Rep Urol. 2022;14:109-133. doi:10.2147/RRU.S273663 6. Jacobsen SM, Stickler DJ, Mobley HLT, Shirtliff ME. Complicated catheter-associated urinary tract infections due to Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2008;21(1):26-59. doi:10.1128/CMR.00019-07 6. Catheter Care Guidance for Health Care Professionals Royal College of Nursing. The Royal College of Nursing. Published July 27, 2021. Accessed February 7, 2023. https://www.rcn.org.uk/Professional-development/publications/catheter-care-guidance-for-health-care-professionals-uk-pub-009-915. 7. Waller L, Telander M, Sullivan L. The importance of osmolality in hydrophilic urethral catheters: a crossover study. Spinal Cord. 1997;Apr;35(4):229-233 8. Pollard D, Allen D, Irwin N J, Moore J V, McClelland N, McCoy C P. Evaluation of an Integrated Amphiphilic Surfactant as an Alternative to Traditional Polyvinylpyrrolidone Coatings for Hydrophilic Intermittent Urinary Catheters. Biotribology. 2022;32(Dec 2022):100223 9. Alexandridis P. Amphiphilic copolymers and their applications. Current Opinion in Colloid Interface Science. 1996; 1(6)):490-501.
