NHS Research Evaluates Treated Catheters, UK

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Also Included In: Medical Devices
Article Date: 20 Jun 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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New research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research's Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme aims to find out which is the best type of urethral catheter for reducing urinary tract infections in hospital patients. The clinical trial, the largest of its kind, will be conducted across eight UK hospitals, comparing antibiotic and antiseptic impregnated urethral catheters with standard catheters to see which is the most clinically and cost-effective.

About one in four patients in hospital need a urinary catheter for a short while, and this can cause a urine infection in about 7% of them, amounting to about 30,000 patients per year in the UK. While simple measures such as general hygiene and taking catheters out as soon as possible helps to reduce the risk of developing an infection, it has been shown that catheters containing antibiotics or antiseptics may reduce the risk of infection even further. However these catheters are expensive and it is not clear how much they benefit individual patients and whether the increased costs are matched by better health.

Led by Professor James N'Dow of the University of Aberdeen, researchers in the £1.4 million study will compare standard catheters with treated catheters in patients who only need a catheter for a short time (less than two weeks). Patients will be asked to fill in questionnaires in hospital and after they go home to find out whether a urine infection occurred and if this affected their health, treatment or hospital stay. Researchers will compare the costs and benefits of each type of catheter to see whether one is better than another for routine use in the NHS.

Researchers also aim to find out whether treated catheters might particularly benefit specific subgroups of patients, such as elderly patients and those in intensive care who are particularly vulnerable to infection.

"These infections are important because they slow patients' recovery from illness or surgery and can lead to serious consequences such as bloodstream infections," says Professor N'Dow. "We hope that the results of our study will allow the NHS to decide whether, for short term use, catheters containing antibiotics or antiseptics are better than standard catheters for reducing infections, and whether they are cost-effective."

To view full details about the project visit this page.

1. Catheters being assessed are silver alloy-impregnated hydrogel urethral catheter, nitrofurazone-impregnated urethral catheter and PTFE-coated latex urethral catheter, a commonly used 'standard' catheter.

2. The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes, with more than 360 projects published since its inception in 1993. About 50 are published each year, all available for download free of charge from the website. It is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton. Visit http://www.hta.ac.uk for more information.

University of Southampton