Symptomatic urinary tract infections after surgery for prolapse and/or incontinence

Introduction and hypothesis The purpose of our study was to estimate the frequency and risk factors for symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) after surgery for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and/or pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Methods Case-control study of 389 consecutive women who underwent surgery for POP and/or SUI. Cases were defined as a symptomatic, culture-confirmed UTI within 6 weeks of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine independent risk factors. Results Thirty five (9%) women developed a UTI. The risk of UTI was significantly increased by previous history of multiple UTIs (adjusted OR: 3.7, CI 1.4–10.1), increased distance between the urethra and the anus (adjusted OR: 1.4, CI 1.1–1.9), and prolonged duration of catheterization (adjusted odds ratio (OR) for ≥10 days: 4.2, 95% CI 1.5–11.6); 94.6% of catheterizing women were prescribed daily nitrofurantoin. Conclusions UTI is an important postoperative morbidity after urogynecologic surgery and is common in catheterizing women despite antibiotic prophylaxis.