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The following article appears in the August 1999 issue of Outspoken and is reprinted here with permission from The Robson Clinic and The Canadian Paraplegic Association of Ontario. A spotlight on the Charles J. Robson Clinic, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, The Lyndhurst Center

Microwaving Plastic Catheters For Sterilization

The following is the technique we are recommending for microwaving plastic catheters for sterilization.  This is only for intermittent catheterization – it is NOT to be used for indwelling catheters.

Procedure

1. After use, rinse your catheters well with tap water for approximately 10 seconds.  It does not matter if it is hot or cold (we used warm water).  Make sure you let the water flow through the lumen (hole) of the catheter.

2. While still damp, place them in the microwave on a clean, dry paper towel.

3. Take a deep glass container that will also fit into the microwave, and fill with 250mL (1cup) of very cold water.  It must be a deep container, because the water will boil and spill out if it is not deep enough.  This extremely important step allows for the excess heat to be absorbed.  It is unsafe to microwave the catheters without the water to act as a "heat sink"

4. On high, microwave for  5 minutes.

5. Pick up each catheter by the distal end (the end that you do not insert into the bladder) and place on a dry, clean paper towel to let cool.

6. Once cool and dry,  the catheters can be placed in a zip lock bag to keep clean until re-use.

 Routine

How often you do this depends on many factors, for instance the frequency of your catheterizations.  You can do this as frequently as once per day, or as infrequently as once per week and may still benefit from it.  One way of judging the need for increasing  the frequency of doing this may be by the  frequency of recurring bladder infections.
 
 

If you have any questions about this, you may call the Robson Clinic Monday – Friday between 08:00 am and 4:00 pm @ 416 597-3422 ext. 6218.
 
 

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