Urinary catheter
A urinary catheter is a flexible tube passed through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine, either left in place or used once and removed. It is used in wards, theatres, intensive care, urology clinics and home care.
Common types
- Foley catheter: an indwelling catheter held in the bladder by an inflated balloon, in two-way and three-way versions.
- Silicone Foley: all-silicone catheter often chosen for longer-term use or latex sensitivity.
- Latex Foley: a lower-cost catheter with silicone or other coating for short-term use.
- Nelaton catheter: a straight catheter without a balloon for single intermittent drainage.
- Hydrophilic intermittent catheter: a coated catheter that becomes slippery when wet, for self-catheterisation.
What to tell us when you ask for a quotation
- Type and number of ways (two-way or three-way for irrigation)
- French size range, balloon volume, and adult, female or paediatric length
- Material and coating (latex, silicone-coated latex, all-silicone, hydrophilic)
- Tip shape (straight or Tiemann) and number of eyes
- Sterilisation method, shelf life and packing, including any urine bag to be supplied with it
- Quantity, destination country and the delivery terms you want (for example EXW, FOB or CIF).
Documents to ask for
Buyers usually ask for CE marking under the EU MDR or local registration, ISO 13485 for the maker, ISO 20696 for sterile urethral catheters, a latex declaration, and sterilisation validation to ISO 11135 or ISO 11137.
Certificates and registrations belong to the product and its manufacturer. We check them with you against the rules of your market before any order.
Why is all-silicone preferred for long-term catheterisation?
All-silicone catheters contain no latex and have a wider inner channel for the same outer size. Many clinicians choose them for longer indwelling times or patients with latex sensitivity, while latex catheters are often used for short-term drainage.
Send us the specification and quantity. We compare manufacturers in China and reply with options, lead times and the documents that come with each product. NJMC sources and checks; it does not manufacture.