Occurrence of catheter-associated urinary tract infection in critical care units

Background: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is the most common nosocomial infection. The etiological agents of which may be varied. Advancing age, debilitation, diabetes mellitus, duration of catheterization are the risk factors. Complications include prostatitis, epididymitis, cystitis, pyelonephritis and septicemia in high-risk patients, adding to hospitalization and morbidity. With this background the present study was undertaken Objectives: (1) To identify microbial pathogens associated with urinary tract infection (UTI) in catheterized patients from Intensive Care Units (ICU) (2) to determine the susceptibility pattern of these isolates to antimicrobial agents (3) to determine the effect of days of catheterization and UTI. Materials and Methods: Consecutive urine samples of 345 catheterized patients admitted in ICUs were included in the study. They were processed by standard microbiological procedures. Isolated organisms were speciated, and antibiotic susceptibility performed as per standard guidelines. Results: From the 345 urine samples of catheterized patients, 205 showed no growth and were found to be sterile. Bacterial growth was seen in 69 patients and fungal growth in 50 patients. Among the bacterial isolates, Escherichia coli were isolated in 39, followed by Klebsiella spp. 14. The other isolates included Pseudomonas spp., Group D streptococci and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In the fungal isolates, Candida glabrata was the most common isolate. High resistance was seen among Klebsiella isolates (nalidixic acid-86% and cefotaxime-86%). Conclusion: Development of CAUTI is common in critically ill patients. Emphasis should be placed on good catheter management and reducing the duration of catheterization rather than prophylaxis in order to reduce the incidence of catheter-related UTI. Culture and susceptibility testing play a vital role in the management if UTI occurs