title: Practical management of catheter-associated UTIs.
abstract: In the long-term catheterized elderly, damage to the epithelial wall is primarily responsible for bladder infections, due to the presence of the catheter as a foreign body and its frequent manipulations. The presence of bacteriuria, a classic sign of infection in the non-catheterized patient, is of little diagnostic importance in the long-term catheterized patient, since it is both permanent and inevitable. Routine preventive measures--eg, frequent catheter changes, prophylactic antibiotics--are of no value. Other measures are worth considering and, if instituted, will reduce the frequency of severe complications from long-term catheterization and improve quality of life.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000009:adverse effects; D003556:Cystitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology