The Aquacath hydrophilic coated single-use urinary catheter.

Single-use hydrophilic catheters are now being used widely throughout this country, Europe and America, for intermittent self-catheterization or carer-assisted intermittent catheterization, with considerable success. They are also reported to provide greater comfort for users. The latest catheter to become available on prescription is the Aquacath coated urinary catheter, produced by Seton Continence Care. This hydrophilic catheter performed very well in a trial comparing coating stability after wetting of various coated catheters (Jones, 1997). The teaching of intermittent self-catheterization must conform to local protocols and trust agreements. Nurses should find out about these and follow them. When teaching any procedure or technique to untrained carers, the nurse must always remember that he/she has overall responsibility for supervision and ensuring safe practice.