Open AccessAn Elderly with Purple Urine
Author(s) -
Lau CL,
Ong KL
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
hong kong journal of emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.145
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2309-5407
pISSN - 1024-9079
DOI - 10.1177/102490790901600306
Subject(s) - urine , medicine , proteus mirabilis , urinary system , accident and emergency , catheter , intensive care medicine , surgery , bacteria , medical emergency , pseudomonas aeruginosa , biology , genetics
Purple discolouration of urine is not commonly encountered in accident and emergency departments. We report a case of an elderly gentleman on long‐term urinary catheter who presented with purple discolouration of urine. He was found to have urinary tract infection caused by the bacteria Proteus mirabilis. The urine became clear after urinary catheter change and antibiotic treatment. This is called the purple urine bag syndrome and emergency physicians should be aware of this uncommon condition and the associated potentially dangerous conditions in order to initiate appropriate management.