Catheter associated urinary tract infection: what is it, what causes it and how can we prevent it?

Catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is one of the most frequently encountered health care associated infections today. Indwelling urinary catheters frequently become colonised with micro-organisms but the majority of cases will be asymptomatic. Differentiation between such colonisation and CAUTI is important for patient management, but unfortunately is not straightforward. This article discusses the diagnosis, causative microbiology and pathogenesis of CAUTI, and briefly considers complications of catheterisation and how these might be prevented.