Scientists at the University of Brighton are conducting research aimed at reducing the number of infections in care home residents who are given catheters as a way of managing incontinence.

Catheter blockage is a common problem and can cause serious kidney and bloodstream infections if left unnoticed. The problem is often caused by the accumulation of a bacterium called Proteus mirabilis on the surface of the catheter, where it causes the pH of urine to rise.
This in turn leads to the formation of crystals which form a crust on the catheter, blocking the flow of urine from the bladder.
Now, scientists at the University of Brighton have shown that preventing this rise in the pH of urine could help to prevent catheter blockages. Nina Holling, who presented the team's findings at a Society for General Microbiology conference, said: "Long-term catheterisation is linked with an increased mortality rate among nursing home patients, and effective strategies to control these infections are urgently required.

"In the longer term, this would greatly benefit patients undergoing long-term catheterisation by eliminating painful recurrent infections, which greatly reduce quality of life. In addition, the financial savings to the NHS would be significant."
According to a review of catheter use in people with urinary incontinence, published in the journal Continence Essentials in 2008, about 50 per cent of long-term catheter users will experience blockages at some stage.