What it means
An infection, usually from bacteria, in the parts of the body that make and carry urine. Most start in the bladder (cystitis) and cause burning when passing urine, needing to go often and urgently, and cloudy or bad-smelling urine. An infection that travels up to the kidneys (pyelonephritis) causes fever, chills and flank pain. In older adults the first sign may be new confusion rather than burning.
For the nurse
Collect a clean-catch or catheter urine sample before the first antibiotic dose when one is ordered. Encourage fluids unless restricted, and teach women to wipe front to back and to empty the bladder after sex. With an indwelling urinary catheterin-DWEL-ing YUR-ih-nair-ee KATH-uh-terA tube passed through the urethra into the bladder and left in place to drain urine into a bag.Full entry , keep the bag below the bladder and the tubing free of kinks, and ask daily whether the catheter is still needed.
In a chart
"Client reports burning on urination and frequency; urine cloudy; urinalysis and culture sent."
At a glance
| Abbreviations | UTI; CAUTI (catheter-associated urinary tract infection) |
|---|---|
| Spanish | infección de las vías urinarias |
| Also written | urinary tract infections, UTI, UTIs, urinary-tract-infection |
Related terms
indwelling urinary catheter
A tube passed through the urethra into the bladder and left in place to drain urine into a bag.
antibiotic
A drug that kills bacteria or stops them from growing.
bladder
The hollow, stretchy organ in the lower belly that stores urine until it leaves the body.
urinary tract
The organs that make, carry, store and pass urine: the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
urethra
The tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body.
ureter
One of the two tubes that carry urine from the kidneys down to the bladder.