New Urinary Catheter, Designed by Quadriplegic, Approved by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for marketing Adapta Medical’s PerfIC Cath, an intermittent and easy-to-use urinary catheter that was designed for patients with limited dexterity by a doctor who is also a quadriplegic.

Urinary tract symptoms can trouble people with multiple sclerosis (MS). In fact, according to the National MS Society, bladder dysfunction affects at least 80% of people with MS, due to MS lesions that block or delay the transmission of nerve signals in areas of the central nervous system (CNS) that control the bladder and urinary sphincters.

PerfIC Cath, designed by J. Glen House, MD, is a sterile catheter that:

• Comes in a user-friendly package, with a gripping device and protective sheath that makes its use easy, even for patients with limitations in dexterity
• A hydrophilic coating to ensure even and complete catheter lubrication, and easy passage into the bladder
• An introducer tip that bypasses high levels of bacteria and reduces the risk of infection

“The PerfIC Cath catheter represents a significant advancement in intermittent catheter technology and is extremely easy to use, even with limited dexterity,” House, who is CEO of Adapta and president of Colorado Rehabilitation Physicians, said in a press release. “It is designed for those with a spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, stroke, spina bifida or other conditions that require a catheter, but can be used easily by those with normal hand dexterity too. It is created for users by users.”

Adapta’s product line includes both PerfIC Cath and the mPower Cath series, with hydrophilic and gel lubricants for straight and coude-tipped catheters. PerfIC Cath catheters have an attached urine collection bag, whereas the mPower Cath urine collection bag is not attached.

According to House, as related on the company’s website, “I’m a C7 quadriplegic with limited finger dexterity who cannot perform intermittent self-catheterization with the current products on the market. I’m also a practicing physician, with many patients who share my limitation and frustration. The design of the PerfIC Cath™ was the result of over 10 years of research and development, along with an enormous amount of user feedback from patients and friends about what they most needed in a product we all depend on daily.”

A spastic (overactive) bladder that is unable to hold a normal urine flow or a bladder that can’t empty properly can lead to symptoms like frequency/urgency of urination, hesitancy in starting urination, frequent night urination, and incontinence.