Hospital-acquired urinary tract infections.

Hospital-acquired urinary tract infections have a great impact on clinical medicine. They are almost exclusively complicated urinary tract infections. Clinical diagnosis in some patients. (e.g., sedated patients, paediatric or geriatric patients) might be delayed for the lack of symptoms. About 80% of urinary tract infections are catheter-associated. However, certain diseases favour urinary tract infections: diabetes mellitus or cystic renal diseases, amongst others. Each specialist field (e.g., geriatrics, gynaecology, paediatrics) encounters its own problems concerning diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections. Hospital-acquired urinary tract infections can merge into severe infections such as urosepsis and septic shock. The microbiological spectrum encompasses multi-resistant bacteria, thus microbiological sampling prior to therapy is mandatory. Additionally the complicating factors must be diagnosed and treated adequately. The best prophylaxis is to minimize the duration of the urinary catheter and to employ general hygienic procedures. Copyright 2000 The Hospital Infection Society.