Product Review: TruCath Duo Dual-Balloon Urinary Catheter

As a longtime suprapubic catheter user, I’ve always been baffled by the lack of innovation around indwelling catheters. While urological companies roll out new styles of single-use catheters like Nike introduces new Air Jordans, indwelling catheter options have stayed mostly unchanged for decades. 

I’m all for the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and I definitely don’t need my catheters to come in new colors or fancy packaging. But years of catheter changes, UTIs and other mysterious bladder issues have convinced me that there is room for — and need for — an improved indwelling catheter. The TruCath Duo Dual-Balloon Urinary Catheter aims to address that need, and based on my experience using it and talking with other wheelchair users who’ve tried it, I think it has succeeded.  

The Double Bubble 

The Duo looks like a normal silicone catheter, the lone major difference being a second port on the opposite side of the traditional inflation port. This second port inflates the Duo’s big innovation: a second balloon at the tip of the catheter. This smaller (5 cc) balloon is designed to improve the catheter’s ability to drain the bladder and reduce the inflammation caused by the catheter digging into and adhering to the bladder wall. 

Aside from causing physical discomfort, inflammation on the bladder wall raises the chances of a UTI. Greg Wiita, co-designer of the Duo, explains why reducing inflammation in the bladder is so important. “If you had a laceration on your hand would you walk into a public bathroom and use that hand on any surface there? No, because the barrier has been broken. The same goes in the bladder, when its mucosal lining is damaged, it is more susceptible.” 

Wiita’s father, Bruce, a urologist, designed the double-balloon catheter — then known as the Duette — in the 1980s as a response to seeing the rampant inflammation caused by indwelling catheters. A three-year clinical study at Tampa General Hospital showed a 13-to-1 reduction rate in UTIs that led the hospital to start solely using the dual balloon catheter. 

Despite plenty of anecdotal and clinical evidence showing the catheter’s benefits, the Wiita’s company, Poiesis Medical, struggled to disrupt the entrenched brands and products. In late 2023, Poeisis partnered with HR Healthcare to handle the commercialization of the dual-balloon catheter for North America. The company has since rebranded the dual-balloon product to TruCath Duo and launched a 20 French size and an insertion kit specifically for the dual-balloon catheter. 

Visible Results and Peace of Mind 

Josh Basile, a C4-5 quad from Maryland, has been using the dual-balloon for over six years and he’s excited for more people to discover it. “It was a game changer for my bladder health and the way that my bladder wall looks,” he says.  

Basile, a lawyer and the founder of SPINALpedia, has been paralyzed for 20 years and struggled with recurring UTIs and bladder stones. His father, a urologist, suggested trying the dual-balloon. He hasn’t looked back. In addition to dealing with fewer UTIs, Basile says he has noticeably less blood in his urine. He says the evidence of the catheter’s superiority is obvious whenever he goes in for a cystoscopy. “The bladder wall looks smoother and doesn’t look as angry and inflamed.” 

A 2021 research study comparing the risk of bladder cancer and bladder cancer mortality among catheter users (indwelling or intermittent) to the general population found that catheter users were at elevated risk for both. Basile believes less inflammation should translate to lower odds for cancer. “I’ve had lots of friends with indwelling catheters die of bladder cancer, so using the catheter gives me peace of mind knowing I have less inflammation,” he says.  

Alex Ghenis, a C5-6 quad from California, has only been using the Duo for three months, but is sold on the physical and mental peace it has brought. “Just from an engineering design perspective, the double balloon makes absolute perfect sense,” he says. “I can tell when the second balloon inflates; I felt a little bit of relief. I have fuzzy sensation, so it’s hard to tell exactly, but I was like, OK, whatever this just did, my body likes it.” 

I have no sensation in my bladder, so I can’t verify Ghenis’s feeling, but I have noticed a decrease in bladder spasms, and I haven’t had any UTIs since I started using the Duo. I’m not saying the Duo is 100% responsible for those realities, but I can credit it for letting me rest easier at night knowing that the tip of my catheter is not digging into my bladder. Anyone who has struggled with the unpredictability of a neurogenic bladder should be able to appreciate how valuable that is in itself. 

I’ve also been impressed with the construction of the catheters. The silicone seems a little sturdier than others I’ve used, and the catheter seems less likely to kink, something Ghenis also pointed out. Changing the catheter is slightly more complicated with the two balloons, but the instructions and order for inflation and deflation are handily printed on the individual packaging. 

I’ve spent more time pondering what’s going on in my bladder than any person ever should. When trying to understand what’s causing dysreflexia, why I’m incontinent or why I’m simply not feeling right, 9 out of 10 times my quest leads me back to the bladder. I’ve heard the same from countless friends with indwelling catheters. So, any product that reduces my bladder-related problems without creating new ones is good in my book. 

Based on six months of using the Duo and everything else I’ve learned about it, I’m excited to say that it fits the bill. The second balloon is a long overdue innovation that promises to improve the physical and mental health of indwelling catheter users. 

The TruCath Duo Dual-Balloon Urinary Catheter is available through a growing number of DME suppliers and home health agencies. For help finding one, contact HR HealthCare via email or call 800/985-9048.