Objectives: To determine the frequency and risk factors associated to bacteriuria after urinary catheterization in women submitted to elective gynecological surgery.
Methods: A cohort study was carried out among women submitted to gynecological surgery after urinary catheterization. This study took place at the 'Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira' from January to May of 2007. Uroculture samples were collected during two periods: in the first 24 hours and seven to ten days after catheter removal. To demonstrate the association between risk factors and bacteriuria, the relative risk was calculated with a confidence interval of 95%.
Results: This study included 249 women. At 24 hours after catheter removal, 23.6% of the urocultures collected were positive, while on days 7 to 10 this was reduced to 11.1%. Of all participants studied only 2.4% had symptomatic bacteriuria. Risk of bacteriuria at 7/10 days was reduced when the patient reported a positive history of treatment for vulvovaginitis in the previous three months. However this association was not found after multivariate analysis. There was no significant association with age, education, stage of reproductive phase, number of pregnancies and deliveries, type and duration of surgery, type of anesthetics, use of prophylactic antibiotic, professional who introduced the catheter and time of urinary catheterization.
Conclusion: Frequency of bacteriruria was 23.6% at 24 hours and 11.1% seven days after catheter removal. There was no association between bacteriuria at 7/10 days and any of the variables analyzed.