PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Intermittent catheterization with a hydrophilic-coated catheter delays urinary tract infections in acute spinal cord injury: a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial.
To investigate whether intermittent catheterization (IC) with a hydrophilic-coated catheter delays the onset of the first symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) and reduces the number of symptomatic UTIs in patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI) compared with IC with standard, uncoated catheters. ⋯ The use of a hydrophilic-coated catheter for IC is associated with a delay in the onset of the first antibiotic-treated symptomatic UTI and with a reduction in the incidence of symptomatic UTI in patients with acute SCI during the acute inpatient rehabilitation. Using a hydrophilic-coated catheter could minimize UTI-related complications, treatment costs, and rehabilitation delays in this group of patients, and reduce the emergence of antibiotic-resistant organisms.