Evaluation of different methods of bladder drainage used in the early care of spinal cord injury patients.

In a series of 115 spinal cord injury patients four different methods of bladder drainage were used mainly during spinal shock. That is a) suprapubic fine bore cystostomy, b), indwelling Foley catheter, c) intermittent catheterisation; and d) both last methods consecutively. The methods of bladder drainage used did not influence the number of patients becoming catheterfree but determined significantly the length of period before patients became catheterfree. Patients on intermittent catheterisation had the shortest time from injury to established micturition. Patients on intermittent catheterisation and on cystostomy had few complications but in those patients treated with an indwelling Foley catheter the complication rate was high.