Catheter Brands

Catheters come in many sizes, materials (latex, silicone, Teflon), and types (straight or coude tip). A Foley catheter is a common type of indwelling catheter. It has soft, plastic or rubber tube that is inserted into the bladder to drain the urine.

Patient Care Medical carries all the leading catheter brands, such as Cure, Bard, Coloplast, Wellspect, Hollister, Rochester, Kendall, Rusch, Mentor, and more.

A long, thin tube is made by pouring the raw material into a room temperature vulcanization (RTV) mold, which is in the desired shape and diameter of the catheter. The material is then cured with heat for a duration of 0.5 to 40 hours. Once it is cool, the tube is pulled out from the mold.

The most used tip for routine catheterization is the Nelaton tip which is round with two drainage eyes. Due to the challenging curvature of the male urethra, a catheter with a curved tip can be used to ease insertion; this type is called a Tiemann tip and is the second most common.

Catheter Materials The most common materials are red rubber, latex, silicone, plastic and PVC. For those looking for a more rigid type, PVC material is the best choice. For those with latex allergy, red rubber is not a good option, but silicone is. Some catheters come already pre-lubricated.

Catheters are made from both rubber and non-rubber materials such as silicone. It is important to use the correct type of catheter and a non-rubber catheter is used if you are allergic to latex.

Medical catheters are tubes that can be inserted into a body cavity, vessel or duct, usually to allow for the administration of fluids, medications or gases or to drain fluids or urine from the body. Examples of some types of catheter include intravenous catheters, urinary catheters and chest drainage tubes.

Indwelling catheters are available in several different materials. Today latex and silicone are the most commonly used materials.

The polymers most often used in preclinical and clinical practice are silicone, polyurethane (PU), polyethylene (PE), polyvinylchloride (PVC), PTFE, and nylon. Flexibility, durability, chemical compatibility, biocompatibility and thrombogenicity are the characteristics to evaluate when choosing between them.

Suprapubic catheters are for long-term use. They're inserted into a small incision in the abdomen during an outpatient procedure. Once placed, suprapubic catheters drain the bladder for up to a month. These catheters are ideal for individuals who are immobile or wheelchair-bound.

What factors impact the pricing of catheters? Some types of catheters are considered to be more high-end because of their features, materials, lubrication, packaging, etc. For example, besides the uncoated catheters, there are other variants that are pre-lubricated.

The most commonly utilized indwelling transurethral and suprapubic catheters range from 14 to 16Fr in both adult females and males. A 14 or 16 Fr is also the standard catheter in most commercially available IUC insertion kits or trays.

The most common materials are red rubber, latex, silicone, plastic and PVC. For those looking for a more rigid type, PVC material is the best choice. For those with latex allergy, red rubber is not a good option, but silicone is. Some catheters come already pre-lubricated.

There are three main types of catheters:

• indwelling catheters.
• external catheters.
• short-term catheters.

Silicone is a super smooth material with a degree of flexibility, making insertion easy and causing less irritation to the urethra. They have less encrustation when compared to latex and are more tissue friendly. Silicone catheters also tend to have wider lumen to optimize drainage.