Representatives of the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases (SADI) and the Argentine Society of Intensive Therapy (SATI) issued the present recommendations on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of catheter associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI). Articles published during 2006-2016 were analyzed in the light of experts' opinion and local data. This document aims to offer basic strategies to optimize the diagnosis based on clinical and microbiological criteria, provide guidance in empirical and targeted antibiotic schemes, and promote effective measures to reduce the risk of CA-UTI. The joint work of both societies highlights the experts' concern about the mismanagement of CA-UTI, which is associated to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials, and the importance of improving daily practices of CA-UTI management. Through these recommendations, local guidelines are established to optimize the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of CAUTI in order to reduce morbimortality, days of hospitalization, costs and antibiotic resistance due to the misuse of antimicrobials.
Keywords: diagnosis; prevention; treatment; urinary infection.