Nursing

Expert spotlight: Diagnosing and treating catheter-associated urinary tract infections

Nurse Manager Weekly, September 28, 2009

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This week, Mikel L. Gray, PhD, CUNP, CCCN, FAANP, FAAN, nurse practitioner and professor in the department of urology and school of nursing at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville discusses when catheter-associated urinary tract infections should be treated.

Q: What are the criteria for treating a catheter-associated urinary tract infection?

A: A catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is diagnosed only when signs and symptoms of an infection coexist with evidence of bacteriuria (> 100,000 colony-forming units per ml [CFU/ml] and a host response to the presence of bacteriuria [diagnosed on urinalysis as pyuria]).

Signs and symptoms of a CAUTI include the presence of two or more of the following:

  • Fever (> 2.0°F or > 1.1°C)
  • Flank, abdominal, or suprapubic tenderness
  • Change in urine character
  • Hematuria
  • Sudden change in mental or functional status


Read the rest of the post discussing when treatment should not occur here.

Editor's note: Do you have a question for our experts? E-mail your queries to Senior Managing Editor Rebecca Hendren at rhendren@hcpro.com and see your name in print next week! In the meantime, head over to our Web site and view a growing collection of advice from our experts.



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