Discomfort / Hygiene

The placement of a catheter deeply affects lifestyle, restricts simple daily personal hygiene routines, and alters your habits as well as those of the people around you.
What is compromised is not only the joy of swimming in the sea or taking a dip in the pool, but even the everyday pleasure of taking a comfortable, relaxing shower.

Living with a catheter means that personal care and hygiene often require constant assistance, severely undermining autonomy and comfort. This resulting feeling of dependency adds further distress to the burden of illness.

Infection Risk

One of the primary causes of catheter-related bloodstream and exit-site infections is contact with water. It is therefore vital that the exit site and the emerging catheter lumens remain completely dry.
Water is a major vector for bacterial contamination because:

• It carries soaps, detergents, and residues washed off the skin or hair during showering or bathing.
• It introduces bacteria and microorganisms naturally present in tap water, seawater, or swimming pools.
• It creates a moist environment that promotes skin maceration, drastically accelerating bacterial and fungal proliferation.