title: pH testing in catheter maintenance: the clinical debate.
abstract: The pH of urine is widely recognized as being a major contributory factor in urinary catheter encrustation. What is less widely appreciated is the range of factors that affect the pH of urine, and which therefore affect the reliability and validity of urine pH testing. This article examines the validity of various urinary pH testing methods and discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the uncertainty surrounding their practical value.
authors.affiliation: Bristol South and West PCT, UK. deborah.rigby@nhs.net
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rigby
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000009:adverse effects; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D004868:Equipment Failure; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods; D008283:Maintenance; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing; D013997:Time Factors; D014510:Urease / Q000502:physiology; D016482:Urinalysis / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000451:nursing; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D014510:Urease