Comparison Study of Home Catheter Cleaning Methods

Three methods of cleaning urinary catheters for reuse at home by clients on intermittent catheterization programs were studied. Reused catheters were collected from clients, autoclaved, and then incubated in a culture of Escherichia coli broth. Three different isolates of E. coli were used at concentrations ranging from 4.8 x 10(5) to 1.0 x 10(8) colony-forming units per milliliter. The catheters were then rinsed with tap water for 1 minute and soaked in one of three cleaning solutions for 30 minutes. The three cleaning solutions studied were 0.6% hydrogen peroxide, bleach in a 1:4 solution with tap water, and betadine in a 1:2 solution with tap water. None of the cleaned catheters showed detectable growth for 48 hours after the cleaning procedure was performed.