Bladder Stimulation for Urine Collection in Young Infants: Not Clean Enough

Contamination rates of urine cultures obtained from young infants using the bladder stimulation with “clean catch” method are unacceptably high.

In a retrospective case-control study, researchers at a pediatric emergency department (ED) in Spain compared the risk of bacterial contamination in urine collected from 473 infants less than 90 days old using two techniques: standard bladder catheterization or “clean catch” with bladder stimulation by lumbar vertebral massage.

Patients' median age was 1.4 months, 46% were boys, 3.6% had a history of urinary tract infection (UTI), and 3.4% had genitourinary congenital abnormalities. The top three reasons for collecting urine were fever (54%), refusal to feed (35%), and irritability (32%).

Overall, 68 urine specimens were positive for a bacterial UTI, 389 were negative for UTI, and 16 (3.4%) were contaminated with nonpathologic bacteria or mix…

Reviewing Author

Carolyn K. Holland, MD, MEd, FACEP, FAAP

Disclosures

EquityGeneral Electric

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Program Committee Chief Resident Forum Subcommittee Chair); American College of Emergency Physicians (Education Committee member)

Carolyn K. Holland, MD, MEd, FACEP, FAAP

Disclosures

EquityGeneral Electric

Bladder Stimulation for Urine Collection in Young Infants: Not Clean Enough

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Reviewing Author