Catheter-associated urinary tract infections are urinary tract infections that occur after a catheter is placed in a patient or within 48 hours of removal of the catheter. Catheterization can easily lead to urinary tract infection, and it is necessary to remove the catheter as soon as possible after the treatment of the disease, and the common methods to prevent or reduce urinary tract infection are as follows.

1, before placement: strictly grasp the indications for indwelling catheter, carefully check the sterile catheterization package, if the catheterization package is expired, the outer package is broken or wet, it should be replaced immediately. When treating primary diseases, such as some elderly people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, oral antibiotics can be taken to prevent infection in the first three days of catheter placement.

2, in the placement of the catheter: carefully wash your hands and wear sterile gloves for catheterization, and be sure to strictly enforce aseptic operation when placing the catheter to reduce the chance of bringing outside pathogenic bacteria, or conditionally pathogenic bacteria, into the urethra during the catheterization process, increasing the chance of infection, and fully disinfect the urethral opening to prevent contamination. Use appropriate disinfectant cotton balls to disinfect the urethral orifice and its surrounding skin mucosa, cotton balls should not be reused, and should be replaced if the catheter is contaminated.

3, after placement: properly fix the catheter, avoid folding and bending, drape the urine collection bag, ensure that the height of the bag is lower than the bladder level to avoid urine reflux and prevent retrograde infection, keep the urine drainage device airtight, unobstructed and intact, and clamp the drainage tube when moving or handling to prevent urine reflux. Pay attention to catheter care, wipe the urethral orifice regularly, remove the secretions flowing from the urethra in a timely manner, and clip the catheter closed regularly.

In addition, if possible, try to put the patient in a single room to avoid sharing a room with an infected patient. Prophylactic antibiotics can be administered as prescribed when removing or changing a catheter to further reduce the incidence of infection. You need to pay attention to the volume of urine in your daily life and observe changes in urine color. If the urine is viscous and dark, you need to drink more water or have a urine test.