Nosocomial Bacteriuria: Estimating the Potential for Prevention by Closed Sterile Urinary Drainage

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Abstract
Urinary tract infections associated with the temporary use of indwelling bladder catheters remain a vexing problem in acute care hospitals. The appreciable morbidity and mortality from these infections are still under active investigation. Because of the large numbers of patients at risk, increased attention is also being given to the costs for prevention, detection, treatment, and follow-up of catheter-associated infections. Before the advent of commercially available systems for maintaining closed sterile urinary drainage, infection was believed to be inevitable. In the past 25 years, the successful prevention of infection in 70% to 80% of catheterized patients by aseptic methods has undoubtedly prevented thousands of deaths from gram-negative bacteremia and stimulated efforts to further reduce the infection rate.