Survey for a serious problem.

[DA Aquamaster]

docs had never heard of cave divers and it took a while to explain a p valve to them.

Same here. My doctors first reaction was that a male with a UTI must be engaging in some interesting sexual practices with some scary partners. It is DC after all. His first thought was to run about $800 worth of tests for STDs as well as for a UTI.

It took awhile to explain cave diving, drysuits and pee valves. In my case, on my ast FL trip a few day before I had managed to cram the exterior end of my pee valve into some silty ooze in a tight spot and my suspicion was that something got past the mushroom valve, started growing and found it's way upstream during an event with a kink in hose.

Once he understood another possible route of infection he stopped looking at me like I was nailing the pool boy.

[JahJahwarrior]

Oh my pvalve is a bolt style unbalanced jamiez special.

[cmalinowski]

... Catheters don't stick to me that well, so I have to change them daily ...

I have heard of people re-using caths... which is pretty bad in and of itself... but are people wearing caths for multiple days? Mine goes on at the beginning of the day and off at the end. A new one goes on the next day if diving multiple days.

I don't know that there is anything inherently wrong with wearing them for multiple days. If I somehow end up with only one cath for two days of diving I'd make it work, but I do know that I like it better with it off.

Chris

[DA Aquamaster]

Urine is sterile when it comes out (assuming you don't already have a UTI) but it won't stay that way long. I think leaving a catheter on more than one day is really asking for an infection as what ever parts of the system are exposed to the external environment would provide a warm and moist environment for whatever bacteria got there to start growing and the more time it has to grow the greater the risk of an infection possibly occurring.

Also, bacteria that may be on you when you put on the catheter are similarly now in an environment that is now also warm and moist and again if allowed to grow over a longer period are in a much better position to find entry and cause an infection.

I don't change them between dives, assuming they stay stuck, but I do remove them as soon as I am done with the last dive of the day. In the post infection from hell era, I also clean things rather well before putting on a condom cath - which I have found also ensures it will stay well stuck all day long.

[cmalinowski]

Urine is sterile when it comes out (assuming you don't already have a UTI) but it won't stay that way long. I think leaving a catheter on more than one day is really asking for an infection as what ever parts of the system are exposed to the external environment would provide a warm and moist environment for whatever bacteria got there to start growing and the more time it has to grow the greater the risk of an infection possibly occurring.

Also, bacteria that may be on you when you put on the catheter are similarly now in an environment that is now also warm and moist and again if allowed to grow over a longer period are in a much better position to find entry and cause an infection.

I don't change them between dives, assuming they stay stuck, but I do remove them as soon as I am done with the last dive of the day. In the post infection from hell era, I also clean things rather well before putting on a condom cath - which I have found also ensures it will stay well stuck all day long.

Agreed. I like the dry. I will admit that there are times where I will forget to remove it until I hit the bathroom at the post-dive eatery. But usually no longer than that.

As for cleaning beforehand, I do that as well. The alcohol wipes found near the insulin supplies in the pharmacy work really well and are dirt cheap.

[amphipod06]

This little pesky organism is found pretty much everywhere and is well known in some cases of UTI's and other infections, very opportunistic:

http://www.pseudomonas.com/p_aerug.jsp

Dive safe,

Celia

[FW]

This little pesky organism is found pretty much everywhere and is well known in some cases of UTI's and other infections, very opportunistic:

http://www.pseudomonas.com/p_aerug.jsp

Dive safe,

Celia

That is the one we suspect causes P-valve induced UTIs, but we are having trouble collecting enough results of culture tests, to prove it

[amphipod06]

That is the one we suspect causes P-valve induced UTIs, but we are having trouble collecting enough results of culture tests, to prove it

You know.... you could easily do something that does not involve getting culture results from actual UTI's... you just have to prove that the organism is present in the pee valve at any given time. You could just go to a dive site, let's say Peacock, and ask if it would be ok to obtain a swab from the pee valves after dives. Nothing invasive at all.... not even embarrassing...

P. aeruginosa grows easily in petri dishes (I used to grow it in the lab) and all you'd need is an incubator (and a microscope) for a few days...

I am sure you can come up with those...

Dive safe,

Celia

[Puttzer]

I can't imagine how anyone using the most basic hygiene can get a urinary infection in a dry suit pee valve.

[divindoc]

You know.... you could easily do something that does not involve getting culture results from actual UTI's... you just have to prove that the organism is present in the pee valve at any given time. You could just go to a dive site, let's say Peacock, and ask if it would be ok to obtain a swab from the pee valves after dives. Nothing invasive at all.... not even embarrassing...

P. aeruginosa grows easily in petri dishes (I used to grow it in the lab) and all you'd need is an incubator (and a microscope) for a few days...

I am sure you can come up with those...

Dive safe,

Celia

...and Pseudomonas can also easily survive in a refrigerator, as well as at basal body temp. It is also seen in human infections in association with rubber catheters in patients - indwelling Foley (urinary) catheters, percutaneous drains, chest tubes, etc. Dive equipment like P-valve tubing that looks inert and not likely to harbor infectious organisms still needs a good cleaning if used for what it's intended.