[Bladder infection due to long-term indwelling catheters]

In the long-term catheterized elderly, damage do the epithelial wall is primarily responsible for bladder infections, due to the presence of the catheter as a foreign body and its frequent manipulations. The presence of bacteriuria, a classic sign of infection in the non-catheterized patient, is of little diagnostic importance in the long-term catheterized patient, since it is both permanent and inevitable. Routine preventive measures, as frequent catheter changes or prophylactic antibiotics, are of no value. Other measures are worth considering, since they will, if instituted, reduce the frequency of severe complications from long-term catheterization and improve quality of life.