Intermittent urinary catheter
An intermittent catheter is inserted long enough to drain your bladder before being removed. It's usually used a minimum of four times a day.
The catheter is usually inserted into your bladder through the tube along which urine passes out of your body (the urethra). The sterilised catheter is lubricated with a sterile gel, and a local anaesthetic cream may be applied to numb the opening of your urethra.
One end of the catheter is attached to a bag to collect the urine. The other end is inserted into your urethra and guided through it until it enters your bladder and urine starts to flow.
If you are not confined to your bed, the drainage bag can be worn strapped to your leg and hidden under your clothing. If you are confined to your bed, the drainage bag will usually be attached to the lower portion of the bed, near to the floor to help the urine drain downwards.
When the flow of urine stops, the catheter will be moved or rotated. You may need to change positions to ensure that all the urine has been emptied from your bladder. The catheter will then be removed.
A new catheter is normally used each time.
Clean intermittent urinary catheter
Clean intermittent catheterisation (CIC) is a type of catheter that you can be trained to use by yourself at home. It can be useful for people with long-term conditions, such as spina bifida, that disrupt normal bladder function.
An incontinence adviser will teach you how to place the catheter through your urethra and into your bladder.
Urine will flow out of your bladder and through the catheter. You can then guide it into the toilet. To start with, using a catheter can feel a little painful, but this should subside over time.
How often CIC will need to be carried out depends on your circumstances. Some people need to do it once a day, while others will need to do it up to six times a day.
Indwelling urinary catheter
An indwelling urinary catheter is inserted in the same way as an intermittent catheter, but the catheter is left in place until you regain control of your bladder.
If you need to have an indwelling catheter inserted for a long time, a long-term indwelling catheter, such as a Foley catheter, will be used.
A Foley catheter has a small balloon on the end of the tube that is inserted into your bladder. When inflated, the balloon keeps the catheter securely in place.
To prevent infection, the catheter is exchanged for a new one every three to six weeks.
Suprapubic catheterisation
A suprapubic catheter is a type of indwelling catheter. Rather than being inserted through your urethra, the catheter is inserted through a hole in your abdomen, then directly into your bladder.
This procedure is often carried out under a general anaesthetic (you're asleep throughout the procedure) and is not painful.
A suprapubic catheter is used when there is damage to the urethra, or when a person has a long-term condition and they cannot or do not want to use a clean intermittent catheter.
The catheter is taped to the side of your body and runs down to a collection bag that is strapped to your leg. The catheter will need to be changed every six to eight weeks.
