As with all medical supplies, the use of a catheter – be it cardiovascular or a urinary catheter – carries with its own set of words, expressions and jargon. Here we present a brief guide to some of the commonly used terminology associated with urinary catheters.

Axial Control – This refers to the ability of being able to directly send forces from the very end of the catheter all the way to its tip.

Body – This refers to the area of the catheter that lies between the hub and the tip.

Back Up – Also referred to as “Support”, this refers to the catheter’s configuration and stiffness, and its ability to stay in position even when encountering some resistance.

Hub – This refers to the fitting on the opposite end of the catheter to the tip.

Flexibility – This refers to the ability of any part of the catheter to be able to bend when it encounters some form of resistant material.

Maneuverability – This word is used in reference to the catheter’s ability – flexibility and torque control – to be advanced around vascular systems or around sharp bends.

Memory – This refers to the catheter’s ability to maintain its configuration even following on from its insertion and subsequent guide-wire removal.

Pliability – This refers to the catheter’s ability to be bent into different shape while still functioning in a correct manner. See also “Flexibility”.

Power – This is in reference to the ability to be able to forcibly direct from the catheter’s hub all the way to its tip, something of particular importance in balloon angioplasty. This is also sometimes referred to as “Pushability”.

Stability – This word is used in reference to the ability of the catheter to stay in position, as well as referring to its functions of memory and stiffness and being able to match the configuration of the catheter to the anatomy of the patient.

Strength – This word is primarily used to refer to the ability of the catheter to withstand the force of high pressure injections while still being able to continue functioning in the correct and proper manner. The term is generally associated with high contrast flow rates.

Tip – This word is used to describe the distal end of the catheter, that which is injected into the patient first. It is also sometimes referred to as the final taper.

Torque Control – This expression is used in reference to the catheter’s ability to send rotational forces from the hub of the catheter to the tip, also known as axiom control.