Abstract
Urinary catheters have been used on an intermittent or indwelling basis for centuries, in order to relieve urinary retention and incontinence. Nevertheless, the use of urinary catheters in the clinical setting is fraught with complication, the most common of which is the development of nosocomial urinary tract infections, known as catheter-associated urinary tract infections. Infections of this nature are not only significant owing to their high incidence rate and subsequent economic burden but also to the severe medical consecutions that result. A range of techniques have been employed in recent years, utilising various technologies in attempts to counteract the perilous medical cascade following catheter blockage. This review will focus on the current advancement (within the last 10 years) in prevention of encrustation and blockage of long-term indwelling catheters both from engineering and medical perspectives, with particular emphasis on the importance of stimuli-responsive systems.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 68-83 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H - Journal of Engineering in Medicine |
Volume | 233 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 28 May 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2019 |
Keywords
- Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology
- Catheters, Indwelling/adverse effects
- Engineering/methods
- Equipment Failure
- Humans
- Urinary Catheters