Despite popular belief, external male catheters or EMCs, also called condom catheters, offer many benefits for men with urinary incontinence over internal catheters. They’re easier to apply, easier to change, and usually cheaper. Urine drains into a bag. When changed often enough, patients with condom catheters may smell less than those with internal catheters. Men may first have trouble keeping the condom catheters in place, but get used to it with practice.
How to Use
An EMC is usually only used one time. Using clean or gloved hands, clip any genital hair in the way. Gently roll EMC onto the penis. Make sure there is about an inch from the tip of the penis to the end of the catheter to prevent rubbing. Gently hold the shaft for ten to fifteen seconds so the adhesive in the EMC sticks to the skin. If the EMC is non-adhesive, tape the EMC in place. Stick the drainage tube into the catheter collection bag. For catheter bag placement, use the leg straps to buckle in place.
Where to Find
Most medical supply companies will sell cath supplies. Men coming home from the hospital may get some free cath medical supplies to get them started. Men expected to get back full bladder control do not need to stock up on EMCs.
A Foley catheter is a flexible, hollow tube that drains urine. It is a common medical product that is used by physicians and patients, with many self catheterization supplies available on the market. While catheters are generally thought of as instruments for draining urine, there are many types for various purposes. The Foley catheter is just one type. It is commonly used for people with urinary problems or during surgery. Some kinds are disposable; the modern form of the disposable catheter was invented in the 1940s by David S. Sheridan. By 1988, he was named by Forbes Magazine as “The Catheter King” and was the founder of four different catheter companies, which he later sold. Even today you can get a catheter related urinary tract infection, but modern medicine helps to prevent and treat this. Even ancient Syrians used catheters, in the form of hollow reeds; ancient Greeks made them from metal.
While it is possible to get a urinary tract infection after catheter use, David Sheridan is credited with saving many lives, because the reusable rubber tubes used prior to his invention cause more infection and help to spread diseases also.
So many people use catheters that Medicare catheter coverage is included in some healthcare plans. A Foley catheter is familiar to many people with urinary problems or who have had trauma or strokes. It can also be used in the military for the injured, along with other catheter supplies. Spinal trauma is one cause, and affected about five percent of personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
