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Published on: October 30, 2013
[STUDY OF URINATION TREATMENT AFTER BCG INTRAVESICAL INSTILLATION THERAPY]
Yoshimasa Kondo1,2, Tatsuya Takayama1
1The Department of Urology, Haga Red Cross Hospital.
Insights
Isopropanol effectively sterilizes urine after Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) bladder cancer therapy, eliminating unpleasant side effects associated with bleach. This safer alternative requires fire and ventilation precautions.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Infectious Diseases
- Oncology
Context:
- Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer treatment often involves Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical instillation.
- Current urine sterilization methods using sodium hypochlorite cause adverse effects like odor and foaming.
- Investigating alternative disinfectants for BCG-treated urine is necessary.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the efficacy of isopropanol as a sterilizing agent for urine following BCG therapy.
- To compare the safety and effectiveness of isopropanol against sodium hypochlorite for BCG urine disposal.
Summary:
- A study compared 70% isopropanol with 10% sodium hypochlorite for sterilizing urine containing BCG.
- Isopropanol effectively inactivated Mycobacterium tuberculosis and eliminated the adverse effects (odor, foaming) seen with sodium hypochlorite.
- No Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth was observed in cultures treated with isopropanol.
Impact:
- Isopropanol presents a safer alternative to sodium hypochlorite for sterilizing and disposing of urine after BCG intravesical instillation.
- Adoption of isopropanol could improve patient comfort and healthcare worker safety.
- Further research should address necessary fire and ventilation safety protocols for isopropanol use.
Abstract:
(Background and methods) Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical instillation therapy is used to treat non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Instilled BCG is typically collected at the time of initial urination and disposed of after sterilization with 10% sodium hypochlorite or household bleach, however, these methods can have unpleasant effects, such as pungent odor, rapid foaming and fever. We investigated whether isopropanol be used to sterilize and dispose of urine after BCG intravesical instillation therapy, because isopropanol at a concentration of 33% or higher (70% isopropanol was used in this study) has the same disinfectant and bactericidal effects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis as 10% sodium hypochlorite or household bleach. (Results) Use of isopropanol eliminated the unpleasant effects experienced with sodium hypochlorite and no growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was observed in culture tests. (Conclusion) Isopropanol is safer than sodium hypochlorite, and should be considered for sterilizing and disposing of urine after BCG intravesical instillation therapy in the future. However, fire and ventilation precautions are required.
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