Tensile set behavior of Foley catheter balloons

The removal of indwelling urinary balloon catheters from patients is usuall y associated with many problems. The problems such as balloon deflation fai lure; encrustations on balloons, eyes, and lumen; and catheter associated i nfections are widely discussed in the literature. The tensile set exhibited by the catheter balloon material could also play a role and further compli cate the removal process. This article addresses this issue by comparing th e tensile set behavior of the balloon material from three commercially avai lable Foley catheters, The balloon materials were subjected to aging in syn thetic urine at 37 degrees C for 28 days to simulate clinical conditions. T he deflation time of catheter balloons aged in similar conditions were also measured. It was found that different brands of catheters exhibited statis tically significant differences in their properties. The tensile set data o f the aged samples could be correlated with the deflation time of the ballo ons. The clinical significance of the tensile set is also highlighted. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons; Inc.