Copyright:  Chris Wheatley
Urinary Drainage

The vast majority of urinary catheters in use contain some latex parts somewhere.

Most of the routinely used catheters are in fact completely made of latex and coated with various substances. They are sometimes marked correctly, sometimes not.

The ONLY completely non-latex catheter I found in a survey was in a peripheral outpatients clinic and intended for supra-pubic use. ( Bard “All-Silicone” 100% catheter - 1658 18UK)

However the common Bard supra-pubic kit in use in the Hospital is latex; so be careful!

Caution: The departments that thought they had non-latex catheters were wrong - the Rusch Simplastic PVC catheter has a pure latex balloon (and unmarked) and the Bard Silastic catheter is actually a silicone coating on natural rubber latex and is stated as such on the inner packet in tiny green letters!
All departments surveyed assumed the Silastic catheters were non-latex, this is incorrect.
As a crude guide, anything Elastic or ‘-astic’ should be treated with caution.

In a suspected latex sensitivity patient -
                           use only the
Bard “All-Silicone” 100% catheter - 1658 UK
                          
“All Silicone” Label closeup photo

                           or the Rusch “Silkomed 100% Brilliant” Silicone catheter

             Theatres use the Sherwood Argyle ‘All Silicone Foley catheter’ (marked Silicone)

 

In this photo - the only non-latex is the topmost catheter (Bard Silicone)
Of the others, only one was marked being of latex.
The
Rusch Simplastic PVC catheter does not state it has a latex balloon on the packaging.

 

Urinary Drainage / Collection bags

All common types - in use have a latex sample port.
Suggest usage of a simple plain leg bag is substituted and urine measured in a plastic jug until
a non-latex product has been sourced.

 

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Version 5  - Sept 2002