Intermittent urethral catheterization in the elderly.

Thirty-five elderly patients receiving intermittent urethral catheterization in a Veterans Administration Hospital and attached nursing home care unit were prospectively studied for development of bacteriuria and/or urinary tract infection. Thirty-one of the 35 patients (88.6%) developed urinary tract colonization. The mean time from initiation of catheterization to development of colonization was 5.7 +/- 1.3 days. Persistent bacteriuria with one or several different microorganisms developed in 17 patients. The most common colonizing organisms were coagulase negative staphylococci, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and enterococcus. Four patients (11%) developed symptomatic urinary tract infection. Although urinary tract colonization was common in patients receiving intermittent urethral catheterization, especially in those with poor functional status, infection was uncommon. Based on these results, intermittent urethral catheterization appears to be a safe and effective method of bladder drainage in elderly male patients when performed with sterile techniques over short periods of time in the nursing home or hospital setting.