[Management and prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections: current opinions and clinical practice].

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI) is an important epidemiological event in the hospital setting as urethral catheterization has a profound impact in terms of local and systemic extension, mortality rate, prolonged length of stay and costs, other than representing a reservoir of multi-resistant bacterial pathogens. All these issues make it mandatory to set up effective prevention measures. Any initiative able to prevent or reduce incidence of catheter-associated UTI and possible complications should be encouraged. In this context, an important role could be played by innovative catheters coated with noble metal alloy and hydrogel. Results from this consensus may prove useful as a guide for the management and prevention of CA-UTIs in Italy and elsewhere, and may also provide a basis for comparison with other studies.