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S T A M P I N G
O U T
S S I
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rinary tract infections top the list of the most commonly
reported healthcare- acquired bugs, according to the
CDC. Approximately 75% of UTI result from catheteriza-
tion, but they're highly preventable in the outpatient setting. The
following precautions, based on guidelines from the CDC,
Infectious Diseases Society of America and Society for Healthcare
Epidemiology of America, can help you avoid catheter-associated
urinary tract infections (CAUTI).
The risk exists
The risk of CAUTI among ambulatory surgery patients isn't as
high as it is among acute-care or long-term-care patients. When
outpatients get catheters, they're in for a few hours at the most,
and often only in the sterile OR.
Still, "we're putting what one might consider a foreign body into the
bladder through the urethra," says Robert Manasse, PhD, an infection
control consultant at Garrett County Memorial Hospital in Oakland,
Md. "Any time we introduce a foreign body, it is a potential point of
entry for bacteria."
This point of entry can give bacteria a boost to reach the bladder,
ureters or kidney following the patient's discharge, he says.
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