A Preliminary Evaluation of Ovine Bladder Mucosal Damage Associated With 2 Different Indwelling Urinary Catheters

OBJECTIVE To determine whether a new catheter design with a low-profile, open-ended rounded rather than pointed Foley catheter tip can reduce mucosal damage to the bladder of ewes. METHODS AND MATERIALS Six ewes were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 indwelling urinary catheters-a 16 Fr Foley catheter or a 16 Fr open-tip CystoSure catheter. After 96 hours, all the animals were sacrificed and their bladder and urethra harvested for analysis. RESULTS Image analysis of the bladder surfaces demonstrated a significant decrease in the percentage of bladder area covered by ulceration and inflammation in sheep with CystoSure catheters compared with Foley catheters (P<.002) as well as a trend toward less edema (P = .17). Macromorphologic evaluations were confirmed with immunohistochemical markers of cell proliferation and inflammation. CONCLUSION In this pilot study, we were able to demonstrate that a new catheter design with an open-ended rounded rather than pointed tip and a reduced balloon base-to-tip profile may reduce mucosal damage to the bladder of ewes. Based on the findings from this trial, we believe this new catheter design with its low-profile, rounded tip may reduce bladder mucosal injury, which is a risk factor for catheter-associated urinary tract infections. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc.