Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Prevention in Patients with Chronic Indwelling Catheters

Abstract

Purpose of Review In this review, we discuss urinary tract infections in the setting of indwelling urethral foley catheters. We focus on infection prevention in setting of a chronic indwelling foley and review the recent literature findings on biofilm prevention, catheter duration and exchange intervals, prophylactic supplements, irrigation solutions, and consideration of alternative bladder management options. Recent Findings Ongoing research has found a reduction in UTI rates through the use of biofilm preventing catheters, D-mannose and Methenamine hippurate supplementation, prophylactic antibiotic use at time of catheter exchange, and intravesical antibiotic instillations within the chronically catheterized patient population. Summary Overall, research on recurrent urinary tract infections is fairly robust. However, data focusing on preventing infections in the setting of indwelling catheters is overall lacking. Continued research remains to be done to translate findings to patient care.