Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare urinary colonization rates in subjects whose periurethral area was cleaned with sterile water or tap water versus povidone-iodine before and after urinary catheter insertion.
Patients and Methods: The study was conducted in intensive care, surgery and medical wards of a university hospital. The study assessed a total of 207 adult patients requiring urinary catheterization for bacteriuria. They were screened for eligibility by the supervising physician. 110 patients were excluded from the study. The study sample included a total of 97 patients. The only difference among the three groups was that sterile, tap water and povidone-iodine were used to clean the periurethral area. A urine specimen was collected immediately before and 72 hours after catheter insertion.
Results: The povidone-iodine group patients had a mean age of 67.9±12 years, the mean of the sterile group patients was 66.3±14 years, and the mean of the tap water group patients was 63.5±12 years. The Chi-Square test revealed no inter-group difference for age groups (P=0.483). Urinary tract infections occurred in 18% of the total sample. The percentage of infection for povidone-iodine, sterile water and tap water groups was 22.2%, 38.9%, and 38.9% respectively.
Conclusion: There were no significant differences in the rate of bacteriuria or urinary tract infections in the sterile water, tap water and povidone-iodine groups.  Traditionally, povidone-iodine solutions have been used to clean the periurethral area is probably not useful than water solutions.