Bacterial Urine Profile and Optimal Urine Specimen Collection Timing in Asymptomatic Chronically Catheterized Adults with Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders.

ABSTRACT Background: Adults with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) require chronic indwelling catheterization which is associated with an increased risk of catheter-associated (CA) adverse events. Methods: We studied urine samples (culture and urinalysis) from two cohorts of chronically catheterized males with SCI/D. Cohort 1 included 28 participants; three samples per patient were collected (before, after, and seven days after catheter change). Cohort 2 included 21 participants; seven samples per patient were collected (before, immediately after, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, 2 days, and 7 days after catheter change). Results: A statistically significant decrease in the post catheter change percentage of “significant cultures” was found in both our cohorts (P Conclusions: Although there appears to be an improvement of organism burden seen after catheter change, this is only temporary, and its significance in chronically catheterized patients is still unknown. Our second cohort demonstrated an optimal time for sample collection at the 1-hour post-catheter change sample, but further research is required for the extrapolation of these findings.