Patient-reported noninfectious complications common after urethral catheter placement

Reference

Saint S, Trautner BW, Fowler KE, et al. A multicenter study of patient-reported infectious and noninfectious complications associated with indwelling urethral catheters. JAMA Intern Med 2018;178(8):1078-1085.

Synopsis

These investigators identified hospitalized patients who had indwelling urethral catheters (ie, Foley catheters) placed at 4 US hospitals, including 2 Veterans Affairs medical centers. Patients were enrolled in the study and were interviewed at 3, 14, and 30 days, whether or not the catheter was still in place, to identify self-reported infectious and noninfectious complications including symptoms of urinary tract infection, bladder spasms, hematuria, urinary leakage, and pain. The 2076 patients included in the analysis had a mean age of 61 years; 71.4% were men. Overall, 79.6% of the cohort had catheters placed prior to surgical procedures and 76.0% had them removed within 3 days of insertion. Patients who had catheters inserted because of urinary retention or bladder obstruction were more likely to report complications with catheter insertion than those who had it placed for a procedure (57.6% vs 2.0%; P < .001). For the primary outcome, 57.0% of the patients reported at least 1 infectious or noninfectious complication associated with the catheter within 30 days. Overall, noninfectious complications were more commonly reported than infectious complications (55.4% vs 10.5; P < .001), though women were more likely to report an infectious complication than men (15.5% vs 8.6%; P < .001). Additionally, a large proportion of patients with catheters still in place reported restrictions in activities of daily living (39.5%) and restrictions in social activities (43.9%).