Catheter-associated urinary tract infection and urinary tract abnormalities in young children: A retrospective study

Introduction: Studies investigating the role of urinary tract abnormalities in the development of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in young children are limited. Thus, in the present study, we aimed to determine whether there is an association between CAUTI and urinary tract abnormalities. Methods: We performed abdominal imaging studies on all patients aged <6 years with CAUTI admitted to the pediatric intensive care units (PICU) and high care unit (HCU) at Keio university or Fukuoka Children's Hospital from April 1, 2018 to July 31, 2022. Among 40 children who developed CAUTI, 13 (33 %) had abnormal urogenital images. Further, two case-control studies were conducted before and after propensity score matching, and the groups were compared using multivariable logistic regression models to analyze the effects of various factors on CAUTI development. Results: In the multivariate logistic regression models, abnormal urogenital images (OR 5.30 [95 % CI, 2.40–11.7] and OR 3.44 [95 % CI, 1.16–9.93]) and duration of catheterization >10 days (OR 2.76 [95 % CI, 1.28–5.96] and OR 3.44 [95 % CI, 1.16–9.93]) were found to be significantly associated with development of CAUTI, both before (39 cases, 459 controls) and after propensity score matching (36 cases, 72 controls). Further, CAUTI in young children in the PICU or HCU was significantly associated with imaging abnormalities of the urinary tract. Conclusions: These results suggest that not only the presence of catheters, but also urinary tract malformations may contribute to the development of CAUTI in young children.