Silver-Coated Foley Catheters to Reduce UTIs: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Infectious Diseases
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common complication following pelvic floor surgery (PFS).
• Silver-coated catheters are hypothesized to reduce UTI incidence.
• Effectiveness of silver-coated catheters in the context of PFS requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the incidence of symptomatic, culture-proven UTIs in women undergoing PFS using silver-coated transurethral indwelling catheters (TICs) versus standard silicone TICs.
• To analyze uropathogen types and catheter-related adverse symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A double-blind, randomized controlled trial involving women undergoing PFS with postoperative urinary retention.
• Participants were randomized to receive either a silver-coated silicone TIC or a standard silicone TIC.
• The primary outcome was the incidence of symptomatic, culture-proven UTI within 30 days post-surgery.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in UTI incidence was observed between the silver-coated catheter group (34.9%) and the standard catheter group (36.4%) (P = 0.81).
• Demographics were comparable between the two groups.
• Escherichia coli was the most common uropathogen identified in urine cultures.

Conclusions:

• Silver-coated silicone TICs do not offer a significant advantage over standard silicone TICs in preventing symptomatic, culture-confirmed UTIs in women undergoing PFS.
• No adverse reactions were associated with the use of silver-coated catheters.