Today I met a representative of Hollister and learnt a lot about the different products they provide for people with continence needs. Due to the nature of our condition a lot of their clientele have Cauda Equina Syndrome. I was very interested in looking at their catheters because I’ve been using ISC for many years and actually I’ve had quite a lot of problems with it. Even though I now have a supra pubic catheter, I’m always interested about what’s new on the market for ISC and what inventions people have come up with to make self catheterisation as quick and easy for people.
I really appreciate when companies go out of their way to make the experience of using a catheter as ergonomic and as stress-less as possible. I’ve always liked Hollister’s Infyna range. The range comprises of three catheters in total. Firstly, the Infyna – a ready to use intermittent hydrophylic catheter. Secondly, the Infyna Plus, which is the same as the Infyna, but has a bag attached for use in places where a toilet is not available. These are both great catheters that I’ve tried in the past, however, it was the Infyna Chic, the third catheter, that really piqued my interest. The Infyna Chic is Hollister’s newest female intermittent catheter. It was made widely available on prescription from 1st May 2019.
There are a number of things I like about the Infyna Chic’s unique design:
1. The aesthetic. The Infyna doesn’t look out of place in my handbag. It could be passed off as a makeup item or pen, I don’t think people would immediately assume it was a catheter just by looking at it, I love that!
2. It’s sleek and simple. There’s no bells and whistles on this catheter. I like that it’s petite and the tubing at the end where the urine comes out of is long enough to hold comfortably without getting urine on your hands.
3. The catheter clicks into place so it can be placed back inside the packaging once used so that you can cleanly dispose of it at another location, if needed. Even if you have the top open it can’t fall out of the component. So if you accidentally left it open in your bag there would be no mess! I think that’s so cool!
4. The packaging is incredibly robust, as hard as I’ve tried I cannot break it.
5. The openings at either side of the tip are uniquely spaced wider than others I’ve used, one higher than the other and slightly larger than the other Infyna range. A member said they, “provide the perfect balance between draining efficiently but not too quickly that it causes a problem”.
6. The lubrication element of this catheter is one of my favourite design details. For a long time I was a fan of the compact Eve but one of my issues was that when you opened the packaging you were at risk of droplets of liquid flying about. This design ensures that doesn’t happen and when feeling the catheter there’s definitely still enough slip to facilitate smooth insertion.
7. I liked the attention to detail on the packaging, the shape has various sides rather than a smooth cylindrical design. This ensures that if you accidentally drop the catheter it won’t roll away and it’s easy to place down on a surface.
8. Lastly I love the fact that I can use this catheter with just one hand, it’s so easy to flip the lid open!
The Infyna Chic has been meticulously crafted and rigorously tested by the Hollister team to reach the highest standard possible. They even measure the amount of friction that it causes during insertion, they take random samples of each batch to make sure those high standards are constantly met. The Infyna Chic took over seven years of manufacture and over 100 different versions to find the perfect one. Our members have reported that they provide excellent customer support to ensure your satisfaction with their products. We often invite Hollister to talk to our members about continence issues and it has proven to be very popular. Speaking to people who have used the catheter it’s clear to see that the length, flexibility and size are the main attractions for them and the asthetic and packaging advantages are the icing on the cake.
Because the packaging is not recyclable Hollister are keen to offset their carbon footprint through various environmental campaigns. I particularly appreciate that because I think the use of single-use plastic is a drawback to using catheters and other continence supplies. This is an industry-wide problem that I think needs to be addressed in the near future.
Here’s some more information about what Hollister are doing to offset their carbon footprint.
https://www.hollister.com/en/about/environmentalresponsibility/reducingourfootprint
All in all, I am a big fan of the Infyna Chic and if someday I can possibly go back to ISC I know which catheter I am trying first! If you want to try the Infyna you can always contact Hollister to get a free sample.
https://secure.hollister.com/en-GB/ukcontactuspage
Until the next time,
Catrina