Approaches of Urologists Toward Treating Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections

Abstract

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) account for 10%-20% of healthcare-associated infections. In the prevention of CAUTI, it is important that the urethral catheter is inserted carefully, and residual urine is measured after removal of the urethral catheter. It is often difficult to determine the diagnosis of CAUTI in the elderly due to the lack of symptoms. Prior to the administration of an antimicrobial agent, the urethral catheter should be exchanged with a new one, and blood culture and urine culture data should be reported consistently. Treatment with antimicrobial agents should be selected based on the severity of CAUTI. qSOFA scores are useful in evaluating the severity. In this report, approaches to CAUTI are discussed from the urologists' perspective.