Antimicrobial coated catheters may decrease incidence of UTI: Study

The limitation of the study is that although the authors of this meta-analysis seem to think so, it is obvious to this reviewer that the case has not been proven. As the authors point out, to qualify for a diagnosis of CAUTI, a patient must have UTI-associated symptoms and at least >103 CFU/mL. More than half of the 15 selected studies in this meta-analysis reported only various cutoff levels of bacteriuria (and not symptoms), and, although arguably this increases the risk of a symptomatic UTI, it does not actually represent a clinically important CAUTI. Of the 15 studies, 10 did not demonstrate a statistically significant association of catheter coating and the incidence of CAUTIs or bacteriuria, and, in fact, only 2 of the 5 positive studies had an acceptable definition of CAUTI.

Thus, the researchers concluded that meta-analysis demonstrates a negative association of coated catheter and incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, supporting that antimicrobial catheter coatings decreases incidence of infection across studies. Further clinical research is recommended to determine the potential for catheter coating adoption in clinical practice to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infection risk and incidence.

Reference:

Use of Antimicrobial-Coated Catheters in Preventing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections and Bacteriuria: A Meta-Analysis for Clinicians by Rachel Vopni et al. published in the Urology Practice.

https://doi.org/10.1097/UPJ.0000000000000254