Should We Replace Urinary Catheters in Patients with Symptomatic Urinary Tract Infections?

A U.S. guideline recommends that indwelling urinary catheters associated with symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs) should be replaced if the catheter has been in place for >2 weeks and still is indicated (Clin Infect Dis 2010; 50:625). This recommendation is based on a single, small randomized trial performed exclusively within nursing homes (J Urol 2000; 164:1254).

Now, researchers have conducted a prospective, hospital-based study to address this question in 315 patients with indwelling catheters (>7 days) and symptomatic UTIs (i.e., presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, leukocyturia, and bacteriuria). At this hospital, catheters were replaced routinely in some units but not in others. The researchers compared 89 pati…