Urinary Catheter Coating Modifications: The Race against Catheter-Associated Infections

Abstract

Urinary catheters are common medical devices, whose main function is to drain the bladder. Although they improve patients' quality of life, catheter placement predisposes the patient to develop a catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). The catheter is used by pathogens as a platform for colonization and biofilm formation, leading to bacteriuria and increasing the risk of developing secondary bloodstream infections. In an effort to prevent microbial colonization, several catheter modifications have been made ranging from introduction of antimicrobial compounds to antifouling coatings. In this review, we discuss the effectiveness of different coatings in preventing catheter colonization in vitro and in vivo, the challenges in fighting CAUTIs, and novel approaches targeting host-catheter-microbe interactions.

Natural Cyanobacterial Polymer-Based Coating as a Preventive Strategy to Avoid Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections

“…Current technologies in the market are based on the release of antimicrobial agents by the coating, such as antiseptics or antibiotics, to inhibit the colonization of the catheters. However, in spite of the broad-spectrum activity, these coatings exhaust their antimicrobial activities over long periods, are associated with toxicity and contribute for the development of antimicrobial resistance [ 2 , 40 ]. Having in mind the goal of developing an antibiotic-free coating, CyanoCoating may be combined with bactericidal compounds, such as antimicrobial peptides, that can be either immobilized or delivered [ 41 , 42 ].…”

“…On-the-fly deconvolution was performed. The number of adherent bacteria were quantified using the ImageJ software, and values were converted to bacteria per mm 2 .…”

“…Urinary catheters are the most common indwelling device, with 15–25% of hospitalized patients undergoing catheterization [ 1 ]. More than 30 million urinary catheters are used per year to manage urinary incontinence and urinary retention, during and/or after surgical practices in the USA only [ 2 ]. Infection is the main concern associated with the use of catheters (either long- or short-term).…”

Polymeric Materials with Antibacterial Activity: A Review

“…Some recent studies that consider the impact of infections due to bacterial colonization in medical devices reported that urinary catheter infections and central venous infections were the most frequent ones, followed by orthopedic implants. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is one of the most frequent infections developed in hospitals [ 21 ]. The catheter is colonized by bacteria or pathogen agents thus causing biofilm formation, which increases the probability of developing secondary bloodstream infections.…”

Anti-biofilm Fe3O4@C18-[1,3,4]thiadiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ium-2-thiolate Derivative Core-shell Nanocoatings

“…In this regard, the hybrid nanosystems based on magnetite nanoparticles (MGNPs) could represent an alternative, considering their accessible and versatile preparation, reduced toxicity as well as antimicrobial properties [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. MGNPs were authorized as in vivo drug delivery platform, and as a result, several loaded systems with a good antimicrobial activity were recently reported [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”