Closed catheter drainage and urinary infection--a comparison of two methods of catheter drainage

The incidence of urinary infection following urological operations is compared using 2 methods of closed catheter drainage in 214 patients. No significant difference was observed. The overall infection rates for the whole series were 32%. The most significant influence on the rate of infection appears to be the duration of catheter drainage. Failure of chemotherapy to eradicate infection while the catheter was still in situ was mostly due to the use of inappropriate antimicrobials. Only 2 of the 35 cases with infected urine had succeeded in clearing their infection at the 4-week follow-up without chemotherapy.