Patients with an indwelling urinary catheter are at risk of developing urinary tract infection: for each day of the catheter remaining in situ, there is an increasing risk from 3% to 7% for infection to appear. One of the main complications of catheterization is the onset of encrustations, frequently resulting in obstruction of the catheter. Aim of this study is to describe the problem of indwelling urinary catheter encrustation and prevention strategies. A narrative review of the literature was conducted. Indwelling urinary catheter encrustations originate more easily when urine contains high concentrations of poorly soluble constituents and when the state of the urinary tract enables their precipitation as an alkaline urinary pH, often associated with the presence of bacteria urease‐producers, for instance Proteus mirabilis. Urease can generate crystals and this process keeps going until the accumulation of crystalline deposits block the urine flow within the catheter lumen. The literature suggests that there are manifold pharmacological and non‐pharmacological strategies to prevent encrustations. The literature analysis suggests that the permanence of the catheter could potentially be one of the most relevant causes of encrustation. The catheterization duration is the most important risk factor for bacteriuria, essential for the process of encrustation to start off. There are many prevention strategies, among which promotion of nucleation pH (pHn) supplementation in the daily diet with liquids containing citrate; this is the most simple and suitable for all patients being inexpensive and effective.

Patients with an indwelling urinary catheter are at risk of developing urinary tract infection: for each day of the catheter remaining in situ, there is an increasing risk from 3% to 7% for infection to appear. One of the main complications of catheterization is the onset of encrustations, frequently resulting in obstruction of the catheter. To investigate the prevalence of encrusted indwelling urinary catheters in outpatients referred to the Department of Urology. An observational study was carried out on outpatients referred to the Department of Urology in need of removal or replacement of indwelling urinary catheters. A table was completed to collect the data of each patient in order to investigate the presence of any possible encrustation. The collected data concerned 85 patients, 81 male (95·3%) and 4 female (4·7%). Patients had different pathologies and different types of catheter, with different sizes and different materials. The number of indwelling urinary catheters that during removal/replacement were visibly encrusted in the eyehole area totaled eight (9·4%). The analysis of the collected data suggests that the permanence of the catheter could potentially be one of the most relevant causes of encrustation; five out of eight patients with encrusted urethral catheter had it in place for 1 month, three of them for 2 weeks. There are many prevention strategies, among which promotion of nucleation pH (pHn) supplementation in the daily diet with liquids containing citrate is the most simple and suitable for all patients being inexpensive and effective.