Urinary Tract Infections in Spinal Cord Injury Patients Undergoing Intermittent Catheterization Procedures
A prospective study was organized to assess whether feeding back infection rates to staff performing intermittent catheterization in spinal cord-injured patients would produce a fall in urinary tract infection rates. Over a 12 month period, infection rates for such procedures were reported to unit s...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
1992-01-01
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| Series: | Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1992/409158 |
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| Summary: | A prospective study was organized to assess whether feeding back infection rates to staff performing intermittent catheterization in spinal cord-injured patients would produce a fall in urinary tract infection rates. Over a 12 month period, infection rates for such procedures were reported to unit staff: reporting was combined with educational programs emphasizing aseptic catheterization techniques and the importance ofhandwashing. Overall infection rates for the 12 month period were 13.3 per 1000 days of intermittent catheterization - unchanged from the preceding six months (15.1 per 1000 days) by retrospective chart review. Likewise, there was no statistically significant downward trend during the prospective phase of the study. A wide variety of infecting organisms were found, of which Klebsiella species (39%), Escherichia coli (18%) and Enterobacter species (17%) were most common: most infections were asymptomatic. Patients with complete cord lesions at or above the sixth thoracic spinal cord segment (T6) had a much higher incidence of infection (73%) than those with incomplete lesions below T6 (33%). |
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| ISSN: | 1180-2332 |