Abstract
Introduction: Intermittent catheterization (IC) is the best method for bladder emptying in patients with spinal cord lesions who are suffering from neurogenic bladder dysfunction. The aim of the study was to determine the benefits of using clean intermittent catheters for patients with spinal cord injury at regular intervals daily to empty the bladder and identify the complications from its use. Methods: A quantitative descriptive design study was done at Ibn Al-Kuff hospital for spinal cord injuries in Baghdad city, including (60) male spinal cord injured patients from the 14th of February 2021 to the 20th of April 2022. A non-probability (purposive) sample of (60) male spinal cord-injured (SCI) patients with paraplegia and tetraplegia were selected. A questionnaire format was used, which consisted of three major parts with a total (of 26) items. Results: The present study included (60) male paraplegic and tetraplegic patients, half of them in the age group between (18-27) years old, and 33 (55%) of them were single. The majority24 (40%) of the study sample were primary school graduates. Furthermore, 24 (40%) were employees before they were injured. Concerning the clinical characteristics of patients, the study indicates that (48 (80%) of the sample were paraplegic patients, 41(68.3%) were complete paralysis and 55(91.7%) of them the cause of injury was Traumatic SCI. Furthermore, 51(85%) of them use selfclean intermittent catheterization; concerning the number of daily catheterizations, 33(55%) of them used it from 7- and more daily, while 34(56.7%) of them, the time between the catheter and the next was each two hours. Concerning the urinary complication occurs during the last 3 months associated with intermittent catheterization, 22(36.7%) of the sample had (UTIs). Conclusion: The current study has demonstrated that the practices of spinal cord injury patients about clean intermittent catheters were acceptable and regular, and it was beneficial to them, as it reduced complications, especially urinary tract infections, noting the need to increase the time between each interval of catheterization to (4-6) hours for each period.
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