Catheter-associated urinary tract infections can significantly impact patient outcomes, particularly so for colorectal surgery patients, for whom the risk of these postoperative infections are inherently high, according to a study published in the Journal of Surgical Research.
To get a better idea of how CAUTIs affect measures such as hospital charges, length of stay and mortality for this specific cohort of surgical patients, researchers examined existing hospital quality surveillance data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network from 2006 to 2012.
They found colorectal surgery patients who developed a CAUTI were associated with a 73 percent increase in length of stay and a 70 percent increase in total hospital charges. The overall mortality rate, which was 4.4 percent, was not associated with the infections.
To access the study, click here.
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