Goals and Methods of Urinary Tract Management

URINARY TRACT MANAGEMENT IN SPINAL CORD INJURY: URINATION AND THE URINARY TRACT IN SCI: GOALS AND METHODS OF URINARY TRACT MANAGEMENT

The goals of a program of urinary tract management are:

Preservation of kidney function and health
Adequate emptying of the bladder
Prevention of complications listed above
Staying dry, also called "continence"
Low bladder pressure in cases of spastic bladder
Managing the bladder in the simplest, safest possible way

There are several methods of urinary tract management that address the loss of control over the storage and voiding functions of the bladder that occur in SCI. An individual program will be worked out for you by your doctor and nurse which will tell you what liquids and how much to drink, how often to catheterize, check the pH of your urine, have check-ups, etc.

The most common types of bladder management are:

Intermittent catheterization program (ICP)
Catheter free voiding program with external collection
Indwelling (urethral or suprapubic) catheter

Each of these methods is discussed in detail in the following sections.

*See Intermittant Catheterization Program (ICP), Catheter Free Voiding with External Collection, Indwelling Catheter, Caring for Drainage Bags, Irrigating the Catheter