Characterizing Urine and Sediment in Individuals with Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Utilizing Intermittent Catheters

Background/Objectives: To perform a physicochemical characterization of urine and sediment in intermittent catheterization (IC) users and evaluate the impact of IC with micro-hole zone catheters (MHZC) and conventional two-eyelet catheters (CEC). Methods: Analysis of anonymized urine samples collected from four IC user groups with lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD): Newly diagnosed individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) from an inpatient SCI clinic (A), and community-based IC users with SCI (B), multiple sclerosis (MS) (C), or other conditions than SCI or MS (D). Urine analysis included physicochemical properties, bacterial load, and sediment size, both after collection and following passage through MHZC and CEC. Results: Urine samples from 53 participants were analyzed (groups A: 11, B: 11, C: 9, D: 22). The physicochemical properties of urine were similar to reference values despite the prevalence of bacteriuria ranging from 54.5% to 77.3%. The median [99th percentile] sediment size in the total group was 8.6 µm [50.7 µm] and 8.5 µm [54.1 µm] for group A, 9.2 µm [40.3 µm] for group B, 7.9 µm [48.3 µm] for group C, and 8.9 µm [50.3 µm] for group D. Following catheter passage, the median sediment size for the total group was 8.9 µm with the MHZC and 8.9 µm with the CEC. Conclusions: This two-part study initially presented a novel approach to characterizing urine samples, including sediment from IC users, and, thereafter, an in vitro experiment using the samples to test sediment passage through MHZC and CEC. The results indicated similar urine properties and sediment sizes across groups and did not suggest differences or issues relating to urine and sediment passage through these IC technologies for these groups.