Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Fact Sheet

Incidence of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Approximately 5% of all patients admitted to U.S. hospitals acquire infections during their
stay.
(Source: Edwin M. Meares, Jr., MD. "Current Patterns in Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections."
Supplement to Urology. 37 (March 1991) 3: 9-12.)

As many as one million patients a year suffer from hospital-acquired urinary tract infections.
Unresolved nosocomial UTIs may account for as many as 56,000 deaths per year.
(Source: Clair E. Cox, MD. "Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections." Urology. 32 (September 1988)
3: 210-214.)

Urinary tract infections (UTI) account for approximately 40% of all hospital-acquired
infections.
(Sources: Clair E. Cox, MD. "Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections." Urology. 32 (September 1988)
3: 210-214; Edwin M. Meares, Jr., MD. "Current Patterns in Nosocomial Urinary Tract
Infections." Supplement to Urology. 37 (March 1991) 3: 9-12.)

In 2002, the CDC estimated that the most common Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) were
urinary tract infections (UTIs), accounting for 36% of all nosocomial infections. That year,
more than 13,000 deaths were attributed to hospital-acquired urinary tract infection.
(Sources: Klevens, RM, et. al, "Estimating Health Care-Associated Infections and Deaths in U.S.
Hospitals, 2002", Public Health Reports, March-April 2007, Vol. 122, 160-166.)

Up to 25% of hospitalized patients have a urinary catheter placed during their stay. The use of
indwelling urinary catheters accounts for 80% of nosocomial UTIs.
(Sources: Saint S, Kowalski CP, Kaufman SR, Hofer TP, Kauffman CA, et. al. "Preventing HospitalAcquired Urinary Tract Infection in the United States: A National Study." Clinical Infectious
Diseases 2008: 46; 243-56 Krieger, et.al. "Urinary tract etiology of bloodstream infections in
hospitalized patients." J Infect Dis. 1983; 148(1):57-62.)

UTI affects between 15% and 50% of residents in Long-Term Care facilities.
(Source: L.E. Nicolle, MD. "Urinary Tract Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities." Infection
Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 14 (1993) 4: 220-225.)

Females under age fifty and elderly male patients are the patient populations most likely to
acquire nosocomial UTI. The populations most in danger of developing serious complications
from UTI include diabetics and elderly patients experiencing lengthy hospitalization.
(Sources: Clair E. Cox, MD. "Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections." Urology. 32 (September 1988)
3: 210-214; Edwin M. Meares, Jr., MD. "Current Patterns in Nosocomial Urinary Tract
Infections." Supplement to Urology. 37 (March 1991) 3: 9-12.)

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Causes of UTI

Genitourinary catheterization is responsible for as much as 80 percent of all hospital-acquired

UTI.
(Sources: Clair E. Cox, MD. "Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections." Urology. 32 (September 1988)
3: 210-214; Edwin M. Meares, Jr., MD. "Current Patterns in Nosocomial Urinary Tract
Infections." Supplement to Urology. 37 (March 1991) 3: 9-12.)

Up to 25% of hospitalized patients experience urinary catheterization during their stay. The
average rate of urinary tract infection among these patients is 5% per day. After a month of
catheterization, nearly all will have acquired a catheter-related infection.
(Source: Sanjay Saint, MD, MPH and Benjamin A. Lipsky, MD. "Preventing Catheter-Related
Bacteriuria: Should We? Can We? How?" Archives of Internal Medicine. 159 (26 April 1999): 800808.)

E. coli is the organism that most commonly causes UTI among both hospitalized patients and
residents in Extended Care facilities.
(Sources: Clair E. Cox, MD. "Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections." Urology 32 (September 1988)
3: 210-214; L.E. Nicolle, MD. "Urinary Tract Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities." Infection
Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 14 (1993) 4: 220-225.)

Complications Related to UTI

In Acute Care, patients who develop a nosocomial UTI have their hospital stay extended by
approximately 3 days and are nearly 3 times more likely to die during hospitalization than
patients without such an infection.
(Source: Sanjay Saint, MD, MPH and Benjamin A. Lipsky, MD. "Preventing Catheter-Related
Bacteriuria: Should We? Can We? How?" Archives of Internal Medicine. 159 (26 April 1999): 800808.)

90% of elderly nursing home residents with UTI will develop associated pyuria, which can lead
to upper tract infection of the kidney.
(Source: L.E. Nicolle, MD. "Urinary Tract Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities." Infection
Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 14 (1993) 4: 220-225.)

Cost of UTI

After October 1, 2008, hospitals will not be paid for catheter-associated UTIs not present at
time of patient admission.
(Source: Wald Hl, Kramer Am, "Nonpayment for Harms Resulting from Medical Care" JAMA, Vol
298, No. 23, December 19, 2007, 2782-2784.)

Cost estimates for UTIs range from $589 to $4693.23 per case.
(Source: Karchmer TB, et.al, "A Randomized Crossover Study of Silver-Coated Urinary Catheters
in Hospitalized Patients" Arch Intern Med. Vol. 160,2000. Tambyah PA, et.al, "The Direct Costs of
Nosocomial Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection in the Era of Managed Care" ICHE, Vol
23, No. 1, 2002, 27-31.)

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. . . nosocomial UTIs prolong hospitalization by an average of 2.5 days. With the average total
hospital cost running approximately $750/day, the additional total bill for a hospital-acquired
urinary tract infection would be approximately $1,875. Using even the conservative estimate
of one million nosocomial UTIs a year in this country, the total cost to our society could be
approaching $2 billion."
(Source: Clair E. Cox, MD. "Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections." Urology. 32 (September 1988)
3: 210-214.) BladderScan, Catheterization and UTI

CDC Guidelines
New 2009 CDC Guidelines indicate, Consider using a portable ultrasound deviceto reduce
unnecessary catheter insertions. (II-H)
Visit www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/dpac_uti_pc.htms for details.
BladderScan, Catheterization and UTI

Portable bladder ultrasound devices can assess bladder volumes accurately and reliably and

many catheterizations can be avoided. Two research units found that use of BladderScan
instruments reduced catheter-related UTIs from 87% to 38% in one unit and 81% to 50% in
another unit over a 12-month period. The hospital had an overall 50% decrease in UTIs.
(Source: Moore DA, Edwards K, "Using a Portable BladderScan to Reduce the Incidence of
Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections" Medsurg Nursing, 1997, 6 (1), 39-43.)

The incidence of UTI has been clinically demonstrated to decrease by 50% following the
implementation of the BladderScan to determine bladder volume in place of intermittent
urethral catheterization.
(Source: Denise Ann Moore and Kathleen Edwards. "Using a Portable BladderScan to Reduce the
Incidence of Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections." MEDSURG Nursing. 6 (February 1997) 1: 3943.)

Ultrasound determination of bladder volume with the BladderScan has been shown to change
nursing practice in 51% of cases. The most common change in practice (32%) is that nurses do
not catheterize the patient.
(Source: Breeda O'Farrell, Margaret K. Vandervoort, Deborah Bisnaire, Patricia Doyle-Pettypiece,
Wilma J. Koopman, and Lynn McEwan. "Evaluation of Portable Bladder Ultrasound: Accuracy
and Effect on Nursing Practice in an Acute Care Neuroscience Unit." Journal of Neuroscience
Nursing. 33 (December 2001) 6: 310-309.)

Verathon Media Contact: Lorraine Silva, Director of Marketing Operations, (425) 867-1348, Ext 5604

Copyright 2006, 2010, 2011 Verathon Inc. BladderScan and Verathon are registered trademarks of Verathon Inc.

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