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Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) lead to patient morbidity and additional healthcare costs. Although previous studies suggested that antimicrobial-impregnated urinary catheters can lower the incidence of asymptomatic bacteriuria, their effect on clinically important infection remains unclear. Investigators in the U.K. compared risk for CAUTI in a multicenter randomized trial of approximately 7000 surgical patients who required short-term bladder catheterization (95% for perioperative urine output monitoring). Patients received silver alloy–coated catheters, nitrofural-impregnated catheters, or standard polytetrafluoroethylene–coated catheters.
The primary end point was the incidence of symptomatic CAUTI — defined as pati…