Science Alert

For a successful therapy, it’s important to find out the patients’ actual experiences when performing intermittent self catheterisation (ISC). But a lack of research can provide obstacles. Have we heard directly from the patient about the difficulties they face when approaching ISC?

A recent study seeks to remedy this neglect in research; it involved a total of 200 adults who had independently been performing ISC for at least 6 months across the US.

A significant portion of patients with neurogenic bladder will develop lifelong dependence upon ISC for emptying their bladder. They are often patients with neurogenic diagnoses, such as spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease.

Emmanuel et al, PLoS One 2021. The use of transanal irrigation (TAI) with Navina™ Smart, is an effective and well tolerated treatment for bowel dysfunction.

This is the first publication that assesses a number of concerns of individuals with spinal cord injury or disorder (SCI/D) may have related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data spans over six continents and describes the vulnerable situation for these individuals in the pandemic crisis.

This is the first study performed in Nepal to identify the rate of intermittent catheterisation (ISC) continuation after a rehabilitation program, among individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI). 

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe health condition that changes lives in many ways. For this reason, there is a strong research focus on preventing injury and improving outcomes. Recent research has used examples of different aspects of SCI, either from birth (e.g. spina bifida) or as a result of injuries later in life, for example after an accident.