Silver Urinary Catheter System Is Key to Significant Reduction and Postponement of Urinary Tract Infections

Silver Urinary Catheter System Is Key to Significant Reduction and Postponement of Urinary Tract Infections Pages E95-E96 Y. Matsui*, K. Yano, T. Horiuchi, M. Nagura, M. Urano Close Close preview | Purchase PDF (59 K) | Related articles | Related reference work articles AbstractAbstract Abstract ISSUE: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI) is a high-volume nosocomial infection that is of significant consequence to the hospitalized patient in Japan and contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance in the hospital. CA-UTI has been the focus of our infection control program for 9 years with little progress prior to this project. PROJECT: A performance improvement project was designed for the prevention of CA-UTI in our 600-bed acute-care hospital utilizing a preconnected silver/hydrophilic-coated catheter system. An 8-month baseline of symptomatic CA-UTIs was established in 1997 with the standardized use of a hydrophilic-coated preconnected catheter system. Comparison was made with the same 8-month period in 2003 with the standardized use of a silver/hydrophilic-coated preconnected catheter system. All catheterized patients were included in both the baseline and the study periods. Symptomatic CA-UTIs were identified by positive urine culture, and the NISS definition was utilized. The period from catheter insertion to onset of infection was measured. Additionally, the cost of a CA-UTI was computed for cost analysis. RESULTS: A 51.6% reduction in the incidence of CA-UTI was observed with the silver/hydrophilic-coated catheter system. Incidence of onset of CA-UTI within 7 days after insertion was reduced by 84.6% with the silver/hydrophilic-coated catheter. The calculated average cost of CA-UTI for 2003 was 56,872 yen (US $537). LESSONS LEARNED: The silver/hydrophilic catheter system can significantly reduce CA-UTIs. This catheter can also postpone the onset of infection. The impact of these reductions is important to the hospital economy in Japan.