Reducing Catheter Acquired Urinary Tract Infections: Mini Report of the State of the Evidence for Indwelling Versus External Urinary Devices

Problem: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are the most frequent types of hospital acquired infections associated with urinary catheters. Purpose: The purpose of this mini review was to determine whether external urinary containment devices compared to indwelling containment devices reduce the incidence of CAUTI in hospitalized patients. Methods: A search of the literature was conducted from years 2012 to present, resulting in extracted data from four studies and one systematic review. Results: There is no difference between external and indwelling urinary containment devices in the prevalence of CAUTI in hospitalized patients. The same microbial flora is associated with infection in both devices. Conclusions: There is no recommendation for the use of one type of catheter over the other in preventing CAUTI in patients requiring catheters during hospitalization. Routine catheter care and early removal remain the most important nursing care considerations.