Complications of Permanent Bladder Catheter Drainage in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Abstract

The effect of permanent bladder catheter drainage on the course of 59 long-term spinal cord injury patients was reviewed. Current renal function, findings on excretory urography and major renal, bladder, genital and urethral complications were tabulated. Although all long-term spinal cord injury patients had severe renal function depression and abnormal excretory urograms patients with indwelling bladder catheters had a significantly higher complication rate than those managed without an indwelling catheter.