Abstract

BRIGAS, Daniela Félix et al. Use of Urinary Catheter in Hospitalized Patients: Reducing Procedure’s Related Complications. Medicina Interna [online]. 2020, vol.27, n.3, pp.10-15. ISSN 0872-671X.  https://doi.org/10.24950/O/28/20/3/2020.

Introduction: About 25% of patients would have a urinary catheter (UC) in place at some time during their hospitalization, although there is no formal indication for the procedure in a significative number of cases. We intend to analyze the incidence of inappropriate use of UC in an Internal Medicine Department and to relate to its complications rate. Methods: This is an observational prospective study that includes the clinical records review of all hospitalized patients in Internal Medicine Department who were submitted to UC during hospital stay, in a 3 months period. Patients with chronic use of urinary catheter and patients who were transferred to another institution were excluded. Results: In 193 patients with UC, 124 were improperly used in a certain time of the hospital stay, totalizing 1651 days of inappropriate UC. Traumatic hematuria was found in 8% and urinary retention after catheter removal was found in 9% of cases. Catheter associated urinary tract infection was diagnosed in 41 patients (21%) and in 14 of these patients there was no formal reason for UC. Discussion/Conclusion: The rate of UC (47%) was significantly higher than that found in other similar studies and the time of inappropriate catheterization was overly prolonged. Nosocomial urinary infections are a major concern related to catheterization, as they contribute to mortality and morbidity of this patients. Implementation of rational use of UC protocols is crucial to improve outcomes of hospitalized patients.

Keywords : Catheter-Related Infections; Urinary Catheterization; Urinary Tract Infections/etiology.

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