Despite the high hygiene standards in most modern hospitals, around 1 in 10 people who have a catheter get a urinary tract infection (UTI).
The risk of infection increases if your catheter is left in place continuously (an indwelling catheter) or if you use a catheter yourself.
If you use a catheter yourself, it is very important that your care team gives you thorough training in how to use the catheter and the correct hygiene measures.
Symptoms of a UTI include:
- pain when urinating
- a change in your normal pattern of urinating, such as having to urinate much more than usual
- passing foul-smelling, cloudy urine
- general symptoms of an infection, such as a high temperature of 38C (100.4F) or above
- vomiting
Read more about the symptoms of a UTI.
Contact your GP as soon as possible if you think you may have a UTI.
Antibiotics may be prescribed as a precaution to prevent UTIs if you need long-term urinary catheterisation.
Antibiotic gels can also be used to lubricate the catheter.
Other risks
Other risks of using a urinary catheter include:
- injury to the urethra caused by rough insertion of the catheter
- narrowing of the urethra due to scar tissue caused by the insertion of the catheter
- injury to the bladder caused by incorrect insertion of the catheter
- bladder stones, although these usually only develop after years of catheterisation
