Healthcare Associated Infections: Avoiding CAUTI's
Healthcare Associated Infections
How to avoid CAUTI's
DefinitionsUTI- Urinary tract infection
CAUTI- Catheter associated urinary tract infection
Urinary catheter- Tube inserted through the urethra, to draw out urine from the bladder
Indwelling urinary catheter- A urinary catheter connected to a closed system, that stays in place for a period of time
Foley Catheter- Type of indwelling urinary catheter, that has a balloon on the end to help keep the catheter in place in the bladder.
External Catheter- types of devices used to collect urine from the outside of the body. Devices that fit snugly to the external genitalia to provide a way to collect urine from the body.
Lets start from the beginning; what is a UTI? according to the CDC, a urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection involving the urinary system in the body. This includes the urethra, bladder, ureters and kidneys. Essentially, you can get bacteria in any of those parts of the body, leading to an infection. UTI's are one of the most common healthcare associated infections known. A very common, yet preventable way of getting a UTI while in the hospital would be from having an indwelling urinary catheter. This is where the acronym CAUTI comes from (Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection).
Why?
Now why do we care so much about CAUTI's? The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) states that: "CAUTI is the most common type of healthcare-associated infection, accounting for more than 30% of acute care hospital infections. 13,000 deaths are associated with UTIs each year." That's a big deal, for something that is so easily preventable.
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| The power to 10 |
According to the NCBI, these are the most common and best diagnosing signs and symptoms of developing a CAUTI in hospital. Keep and eye out for any of these if you have a patient with an indwelling catheter.
- Fever
- Suprapubic tenderness
- chills
- Flank pain
- Delirium (any change in mental status from before)
Lets not forget about the most common signs and symptoms of a UTI as well, they can also present themselves in this situation as well.
- cloudy, dark, or strange smelling urine
- shakyness
- pain
- intense urge of needing to go
Now that we know what a CAUTI is, lets talk about ways to prevent this from happening. The CDC recommends that healthcare professionals only place urinary catheters when it is absolutely medically necessary. Some guidelines for prevention of catheter associated urinary tract infections are as followed:
- Only place catheters when absolutely medically necessary and remove as soon as it is clinically indicated to do so.
- Do not place urinary catheters out of convenience for medical staff
- Keep in mind other options before resorting to an indwelling catheter
- Maintain sterile technique when placing indwelling catheter, and aseptic technique thereafter
- Provide proper catheter care at least once per 12 hour shift
- Properly secure catheter to patient to prevent excessive movement
- Do not clamp catheter or allow drainage bag to be at level or above bladder, to prevent any back-flow of urine into the bladder.
Resources:
CDC-healthcare associated infections
CDC-infection control
Department of health-indwelling urinary catheters
CDC-CAUTI's
NHCN-hospital safety
APIC Spreading knowledge, preventing infections
NCBI CAUTI assessment tool
Disclaimer: This is a class assignment and not a real blog
This is a great topic to write about because it is really so important. Catheters are a common practice on my floor. A lot of our patients struggle with urinary retention causing bladder distention. It's always a toss up between trying to get patients to pee on their own and also making sure not too much urine is in the bladder causing reflux into the kidneys. It's so important to make sure we are only placing indwelling catheters is medically necessary and if they are placed, that we are cleaning and checking frequently. Thanks for the blog post!
ReplyDeleteBreanna: Your blog is packed with so much great information that every healthcare provider must know. I performed my first straight cath the other day and was very aware the entire time of the possibility of causing a CAUTI for my patient. Your power of 10 infographic is great, I printed if off to take to work with me. The definitions at the beginning along with the figures showing catheter placement is a great way to start this blog. You have provided an easy to read blog making it easy for readers to understand what a CAUTI is and the importance of a sterile insertion process. Great Blog!
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