Urinary tract infections in intensive care units

Abstract

Urinary tract infections in the intensive care unit (ICU) cover a wide range of clinical situations, from asymptomatic or only mildly symptomatic bacteriuria to severe urinary tract infections with systemic involvement or urosepsis.
Urosepsis accounts for around 10% of septic shock admissions to critical care units. Urosepsis is community-acquired or care-associated, and in many cases is accompanied by underlying uropathy or urinary tract obstruction.
In this review, we describe the diagnosis and management of community-acquired and healthcare-associated urosepsis in the ICU, highlighting the problem of resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
We suggest a course of action in the event of nosocomial bacteriuria following urinary catheterization.