What are urinary catheters?
Author: SCIRE Community Team | Reviewer: Bonnie Nybo | Published: 24 October 2017 | Updated: ~
There are various types of urinary catheters such as balloon catheters (above).1
Urinary catheters (simply referred to as ‘catheters’ on this page) are pieces of equipment that are used to drain urine from the bladder
Most catheters are thin tubes that are inserted directly into the bladder through the urethra (the duct that leads urine out of the bladder), but can also be placed outside of the body in males (condom catheters). These tubes allow urine to drain out of the bladder into a collection device such as a collection bag. There are several different types of catheters that are available, including single-use catheters and lubricated (hydrophilic) catheters.
Urinary catheters are used after SCI to help drain urine from the bladder in those who have difficulty emptying the bladder due to neurogenic bladder.