cUTI: Catheter-Associated Infection in a Resident of a Long-Term Care Facility

Candice Short, DNP, FNP-C
East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee

Ryan Short, MSN, FNP-BC   
Ballad Health, Johnson City, Tennessee

Jim is a 70-year-old man who currently resides in a long-term care facility. He has a history of controlled type 2 diabetes and has had 2 back surgeries, a spinal laminectomy, and a discectomy, which resulted in a spinal cord injury. Because of the neurological damage, Jim now requires a long-term indwelling urinary catheter.   

Upon presentation to your clinic, a physical examination was conducted, which revealed a slight fever of 38.3 °C, costovertebral angle tenderness, and altered mental status. A urinalysis revealed pyuria and bacteriuria.