Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
A whistle tip catheter is a catheter whose label names its tip style as “whistle tip”. The term is a descriptor in product names, not a device category of its own: it appears on urethral, ureteral and suction catheters that FDA files under different product codes. This page shows how the term appears in FDA device records and how it differs from olive, Tiemann and mushroom tips, for clinic staff, buyers and students who read catheter labels.
What a whistle tip catheter is
“Whistle tip” is a tip-style name used in the labelled names of registered catheters. FDA’s device classification database has no device name built on the word “whistle”; catheters carrying the term are classified under the ordinary catheter product codes (checked 2026-10-30). In the FDA Global Unique Device Identification Database (GUDID), 75 records contain the phrase “whistle tip” in their device description (data last updated 2026-10-01, read 2026-10-30).
Urological catheters, the family most people mean by the term, are defined in 21 CFR 876.5130 as flexible tubular devices inserted through the urethra to move fluids into or out of the urinary tract. Under that regulation they are Class II devices.
Where “whistle tip” appears: FDA product codes
74 of the 75 GUDID records fall into the product codes below (the other is a Medline tracheostomy tray listing that includes a whistle-tip suction catheter). The same phrase is therefore used for urinary, ureteral and airway-suction catheters, so a catalogue line needs its product family checked before the tip name is read.
| FDA product code | Classification name | Class and regulation | Records with “whistle tip” | Example label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOD | Catheter, Urological | Class 2, 21 CFR 876.5130 | 33 | Bardex Urethral Catheter Whistle Tip (C. R. Bard) |
| EZC | Catheter, Coude | Class 2, 21 CFR 876.5130 | 6 | Bardex Lubricath Foley Catheter Whistle Tip (C. R. Bard) |
| EYB | Catheter, Ureteral, Gastro-Urology | Class 2, 21 CFR 876.5130 | 3 | Bard Polyurethane Ureteral Catheters, Whistle Tip |
| GBL | Catheter, Ureteral, General & Plastic Surgery | 21 CFR 876.5130 | 8 | Whistle Tip (Cook) |
| BSY | Catheters, Suction, Tracheobronchial | Class 1, 21 CFR 868.6810 | 8 | Bard Suction Catheter Two Eye, Whistle Tip With Control Vent |
| JOL | Catheter and Tip, Suction | Class 2, 21 CFR 880.6740 | 16 | Curaplex Suction Catheter, Whistle Tip and Thumb Control Port (Bound Tree Medical) |
Some of these records are marked “Not in Commercial Distribution” in GUDID, including the Bardex Urethral Catheter Whistle Tip (KOD) and the Cook Whistle Tip ureteral listing (GBL); others, such as the Bard Polyurethane Ureteral Catheters, Whistle Tip (EYB), are marked “In Commercial Distribution” (read 2026-10-30).
Whistle tip vs olive, Tiemann and mushroom tips
These names are often read together in catalogues. They describe different things: a bent or bulbed tip meant for the urethra (coude, olive, Tiemann), a winged retention head (Malecot, “mushroom”), or a tip-style label (whistle).
| Term | What the record or reference says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Whistle tip | Appears in labelled names on urethral, coude, ureteral and suction catheters; FDA records use it as a descriptor, with no product code of its own. | openFDA UDI and classification, read 2026-10-30 |
| Coude | Has a slight bend near the tip that helps guide the catheter beyond obstructions in the bulbar and prostatic urethra. | StatPearls, Difficult Foley Catheterization (NBK564404) |
| Olive tip (olive-tip coude) | Features a curved tip and a small bulb that further assist in navigating around obstructions. | StatPearls, NBK564404 |
| Tiemann tip | Similar design to the olive tip, but with a slightly longer, more flexible and thinner tip. FDA records list Tiemann-model catheters under coude (EZC), urological (KOD) and straight (EZD) codes. | StatPearls, NBK564404; openFDA UDI |
| Mushroom tip | A winged, mushroom-shaped distal end belongs to Malecot-type drainage catheters, not to Foley-style urethral tips. | CASRAI Malecot catheter guide |
For the Medicare coding view of straight versus coude tips, see the A4351 HCPCS code guide, which separates tip shape for intermittent catheters. For the winged head, see the Malecot catheter guide.
Who uses it
Clinic staff and buyers meet the term in catalogue and device-record lines; students meet it in catheter nomenclature. It is a label to read alongside the product code, size and balloon or drainage design, not a recommendation of one tip over another.
Safe use and handling basics
Catheters are medical devices used under the manufacturer’s instructions for use and the direction of a licensed clinician. The instructions that come with a specific product govern its handling, sterility and storage. Related reading: pre-lubricated catheters and the Robinson catheter. Urinary catheter supplies are listed under catheters, urology and incontinence.
Common mistakes
- Treating “whistle tip” as a product family. The same words sit on urological, ureteral and suction catheters with different product codes and classes.
- Treating a tip name as a size or balloon specification. Tip style, French size and balloon volume are separate fields in a device record.
- Using “mushroom catheter” for any rounded tip. The winged mushroom head is the Malecot design.
Frequently asked questions
What does whistle tip mean on a catheter label?
It is a tip-style name that appears in the labelled names of registered catheters. In FDA records it is a descriptor, not a product category with its own product code.
Is a whistle tip catheter the same as a mushroom catheter?
No. A winged, mushroom-shaped distal end belongs to Malecot-type drainage catheters, which is a different design from a tip-style label.
Are olive tip and Tiemann tip catheters the same?
StatPearls describes the Tiemann tip as similar in design to the olive tip but slightly longer, more flexible and thinner. Both are described under coude catheters, which have a bend near the tip.
Does the term only apply to urinary catheters?
No. In the GUDID records read for this page it also appears on ureteral catheters and on tracheobronchial and general suction catheters, filed under different FDA product codes.
Sources
- openFDA Device UDI (AccessGUDID) API, query device_description “whistle tip”, data last updated 2026-10-01, read 2026-10-30: https://api.fda.gov/device/udi.json
- openFDA Device Classification API, product codes KOD, EZC, EZD, EYB, GBL, BSY, JOL, read 2026-10-30: https://api.fda.gov/device/classification.json
- 21 CFR 876.5130, Urological catheter and accessories, read 2026-10-30: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/876.5130
- Bianchi, Leslie, Chesnut. Difficult Foley Catheterization. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf NBK564404, updated July 2026, read 2026-10-30: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564404/
