This study aimed to determine the rate of urinary tract infection (UTI) in patients with a new spinal cord injury (SCI) and identify which bladder management technique is associated with the lowest rate of UTI.
Adults admitted to the Victorian Spinal Cord Service with a new SCI from 2012 to 2014 were enrolled. Data collected included patient characteristics, SCI level, bladder management and diagnosis of UTI. Bacteriuria (≥ 102 colony-forming organisms/mL) with clinical signs of infection was used to define a UTI.
143 patients were enrolled. 36 (25%) were female; the median age was 42 years. An indwelling urethral catheter (IUC) was placed in all the patients initially. 55 (38%) patients developed a UTI with an IUC, representing a UTI rate of 8.7/1000 inpatient days. Long-term bladder management strategies were initiated after a median of 58 days. IUC removal and initiation of any other alternative bladder management halved the UTI rate to 4.4/1000 inpatient days, p < 0.001. Intermittent self-catheterisation (ISC) and suprapubic catheter placement had lower UTI rates compared to IUC, 6.84 and 3.81 UTI/1000 inpatient days, p = 0.36 and p = 0.007, respectively. An IUC was re-inserted in 29 patients and resulted in a higher UTI rate of 8.33/1000 inpatient days.
This study has identified a high UTI rate in new SCI patients with an IUC and reinforces the importance of early IUC removal and initiation of non-IUC bladder management in this cohort of patients.
World journal of urology. 2019 Jan 02 [Epub ahead of print]
Derek B Hennessey, N Kinnear, L MacLellan, C E Byrne, J Gani, A K Nunn
Department of Urology, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. ., Department of Urology, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia., Victorian Spinal Cord Service, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Vic, Australia.