SCREENING OF URINARY-TRACT INFECTION IN AN INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT

The interest of urinary reagent strips (Multistix - 8 SG Ames - Miles laboratories) with photometric reading was evaluated in a prospective clinical study involving 76 patients who had an indwelling bladder catheter and who were hospitalized in an intensive care unit. Thirty-two patients had an urinary tract infection (prevalence of 42.1 %). All of them were asymptomatic and were not treated. The predictive value of a negative test for leukocytes in combination with nitrites was 91.2 %. This test could be used in an aim of screening, reducing by 44 % the number of routine urinalysis. Nevertheless, it is necessary to have an urinalysis when the patient is symptomatic, whatever is the result of reagent strip.