Urinary tract infection is a common problem among acute spinal cord-injuried patients who require intermittent catheterization of the bladder. A standard microwave oven has been used to sterilize catheters used for intermittent catheterization.
The
purpose of this study was to assess a method for sterilization of urinary catheters by microwave irradiation by comparing to soap washing, or betadine soaking. Representative urinary isolates of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus,
Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Streptococcus fecaelis species were tested. Sterilization by microwave irradiation was more effective than conventional soap washing or betadine soaking. And all strains were sterilized 10
minutes
after microwave irradiation. Sterilization in the microwave oven did not affect the integrity of the catheter. According to the results, micro wave irradiation can be a practical, efficient, and cost-effective method of home catheter
sterilization.
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