Intermittent Catheters are inserted internally and used for several Indications, such as short term urinary drainage from the bladder for patients with urinary incontinence, urinary retention, or patients with a bladder obstruction. Vitality Medical carries a variety of intermittent catheter types, such as a Coude or Straight Intermittent Catheters, in a range of Intermittent Catheter Sizes from top manufacturers.
There are many conditions where patients suffer from bladder emptying issues and may require Intermittent Catheterization, they may include but are not limited to:
*Always consult your primary care physician when determining your required catheter size.
Catheter Diameters
Correct catheter diameter should be large enough to allow the free flow of urine but small enough so as not to cause damage to the urethra. Catheters use the French catheter scale to determine diameter sizes. The French catheter scale starts at 3 F (1mm) and goes up to 34 F (11.3mm), with the most common sizes being 10 F (3.3mm) to 28 F (9.3mm)
Catheter Lengths
The catheter length will vary for men and women. Women will require a shorter catheter, generally around 6 inches as their urethral length is shorter. Men have a longer urethra and will require a longer catheter, typically 12 to 16 inches.
As shown in the continuum below, men and women commonly share catheter French sizes of 14 to 16. Men trend to the larger diameter sizes while women trend towards small diameters. The 14 French size is the most commonly used size. The sizes are color-coded for easy detection. The funnel end of the catheter is colored to correspond to its size. As mentioned, the most commonly used size is the French 14 which has a green funnel. The chart below the continuum displays the color for each French size.
