Professor Paul Anantharajah Tambyah1
1Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine National University of Singapore
Catheter associated urinary tract infections are among the most common healthcare associated infections in hospitals and long term care facilities worldwide. While they are not associated with significant morbidity and mortality unless associated with obstruction, they are a major reservoir of multi-resistant bacteria. The most important advance in prevention of CAUTI has been the introduction of closed drainage more than two decades ago. Since then there have been numerous efforts using various interventions none of which have had a significant impact on the incidence of CAUTI. Efforts in recent years have focused on novel coatings, none of which have been highly successful. There still remain significant challenges in prevention of CAUTI.