Dive Brief:
- A new catheter, developed by researchers in the U.K., has a special coating that changes the color of urine when pathogenic bacteria are present, Becker's Hospital Review reports.
- The University of Bath research team has demonstrated the catheter was able to anticipate infections up to 12 hours before symptoms.
- Toby Jenkins, ,the lead researcher from the University of Bath’s Department of Chemistry, said in a statement, "The coating we've developed will give a 12-hour warning before an infection causes a blockage, meaning only patients with an infection need to be treated with antibiotics."
Dive Insight:
This will prevent many patients who have catheters pre- and post-surgery from unnecessary antibiotic treatment since patients who have catheters for more than a week are given antibiotics to prevent infections.
There are 100 million urinary catheters used globally every year. Infections can affect up to half of those patients using catheters long-term and lead to kidney failure, septicemia, and death, according to a press release from the University of Bath.
An estimated 70% to 80% of urinary tract infections in hospitals are due to urinary catheters, and the duration of catheterization is the most important risk factor in acquiring an infection, according to an article in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
The prototype will be developed via a partnership with a medical device company.