For patients with incontinence who cannot be managed by other means, external or internal urine collecting devices may be useful. Condom catheters have been used for men, but analogous external collection devices for women are not widely available. Long-term urethral catheterization causes a dynamic polymicrobial bacteriuria that may be complicated by fever, catheter obstruction, bacteremia, acute pyelonephritis, urinary stones, chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis, renal failure, or death. Understanding these complications may lead to better decisions for patients and perhaps to new management options for incontinence.