Urinary tract infections (UTIs), an infection of the bladder, urethra, or kidneys. Catheters are highly susceptible to infections and UTIs are a major issue with both short-term and long-term catheter use.

Traditional catheters can negatively affect a patient's quality of life. This is due to the use of drainage bags with Foley catheters, or the need to self-catheterise 6-8 times per day with intermittent catheters.

Foley catheters continuously drain urine, preventing the natural bladder expansion and contraction that occurs during urination. This can lead to loss of bladder function as the muscles weaken from inactivity.

Single-use plastic waste from Foley and intermittent catheters (IC or CIC) have a significant negative impact on the environment. For example, intermittent catheters alone lead to 206 million litres of waste annually.