The cost of the urinary catheterization in patients admitted to the intensive care unit

Urinary catheters are one of the most widely used invasive devices in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), and its insertion is a major contributor to the development of complications, increasing hospitalization time and costs. Objectives: The study seeks to evaluate the direct cost of the Bladder Catheterization (BC) procedure, and also to carry out its partial economic evaluation in ICU hospitalized patients who were either bearing or not bearing a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Methods: It is a descriptive study that has used partial economic evaluation by analyzing patients' records. Results: 48.45% of the BC costs are due to the urine collection system, followed by lidocaine hydrochloride (20.38%) and Foley catheter (12.70%). The costs' increase of the BC procedure, coupled with the UTI treatment, represent more than 18 times the cost increase in ICUs, which extrapolates the value of UTI treatments in R$3,537,692.79 considering the Brazilian healthcare system. Conclusion: The costs of UTI treatment associated with the BC procedure have a large impact on the hospital budget, requiring an economic analysis in order to implement a rational allocation of resources.