[A controlled trial of a new material for coating urinary catheters]

Hydrogel is a highly biocompatible material which is used for coating Foley catheters. It has, in vitro and in vivo, demonstrated the lack of irritation to the surrounding urothelium. This controlled, randomized trial study the effectiveness of hydrogel-coated catheter (H catheter) compared with silicone-coated catheter (S catheter) in the prevention of nosocomial urinary tract infections (N.U.T.I.) for intensive care patients. To be included in this trial, subjects should have no urinary tract infection and no Foley catheters. Preliminary results concern 266 subjects (129 with H catheter, 137 with S catheter) Sex ratio M:F was 0.95; mean age was 50.7 years. The main criteria of judgement was the cumulative incidence of N.U.T.I. There was no significant difference between the two groups: 15.8% for H catheter versus 12.9% for S catheter. In the two groups mean duration of catheterization was longer for patients with N.U.T.I. Other evaluations seem to be necessary in order to confirm these results.