(E-170) Minimizing Risk of Urinary Tract Infections in Male Patients with Urine Retention By Using an Internal Catheter/Condom Catheter Hybrid System

Introduction:: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a significant problem for patients requiring catheterization, specifically among males with urine retention who require internal catheterization. The use of internal catheters poses an increased risk of UTIs which can lead to serious complications. In contrast, condom catheters are a potential alternative to internal catheters; however, they are not suitable for males with urine retention due to the inability to control the flow of urine. In such cases, internal catheters must be inserted through the urethra and into the bladder where they can be left in place for an extended period of time. This project aims to address this issue of UTIs in males with urine retention by developing a hybrid urinary catheter system that combines an internal Foley catheter with a condom catheter to maintain a sterile barrier during catheterization. The development of a hybrid system that combines the benefits of both internal and condom catheters could greatly decrease the risk of UTIs in males with urine retention. The significance of this work lies in its potential to improve the quality of life for such patients by reducing the risk of UTIs. The development of this hybrid catheterization system that maintains a sterile barrier could greatly improve patient well-being during hospitalization requiring internal urinary catheterization.

Materials and Methods:: In this project, we designed a hybrid urinary catheterization system based on an internal Foley catheter and condom catheter. Specifically, the condom catheter was designed to be worn externally on the penis using silicone and implementing an adhesive strip to prevent it from slipping. The end of the condom catheter contains an opening that slides over the internal Foley catheter allowing for adjustment of the positioning of both the internal catheter and condom catheter independently. This is important as the Foley catheter once placed has an internal balloon filled by injecting 10mL of saline solution to prevent the catheter from falling out. A mechanical valve is incorporated in the line to prevent backflow of urine from the urine collection bag. The system was tested on a mock setup to evaluate the maintenance of a sterile field with the device, and it involved conducting culture swabs of the mock area after sterilization, as well as on a daily basis following the application of the mock system to ensure sterility of the area. The swabs were taken from the region around the catheter insertion site and analyzed for the presence of bacteria.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions::

The design is evaluated based on the effectiveness of the hybrid catheterization device in maintaining a sterile field within the mock system which serves as a surrogate for assessing the ability to prevent urinary tract infections. The ease of insertion of the hybrid catheter is expected to be consistent with the Foley as no modifications are made to the internalized components. The investigation sought to determine whether the hybrid catheterization system could provide a potential solution to the problem of UTIs in males with urine retention. Our expected results were that the hybrid system would maintain a sterile barrier between the internal catheter and the extremities. The device is likely to provide this as the condom catheter segment allows the sterile field to be maintained, and the Foley catheter ensures that the urine is able to pass from the bladder to the collection bag. The possible success of this project in providing a solution to maintaining a sterile field in lab studies may provide the basis for future clinical studies for urinary catheterization using this new hybrid approach to see if it reduces the risk of UTIs in males with urine retention.

Acknowledgements (Optional): : Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R25EB032766. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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