International Journal of Research and Review Vol.7; Issue: 5; May 2020 Website: www.ijrrjournal.com Original Research Article E-ISSN: 2349-9788; P-ISSN: 2454-2237 International Journal of Research and Review (ijrrjournal.com) 114 Vol.7; Issue: 5; May 2020 Incidence and Microbiology of Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection in Hospitalized Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kumaon Region Junaid Alam 1 , Pankaj Kumar Verma 2 , Shriranjan Kala 2 , Vinita Rawat 3 1 PG Resident, 2 Associate Professor, Department of General Surgery, Dr. Sushila Tiwari Government Medical College and Hospital, Haldwani (Nainital). 3 Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Dr. Sushila Tiwari Government Medical College and Hospital, Haldwani (Nainital). Corresponding Author: Junaid Alam ABSTRACT Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is a major preventable cause of in- hospital morbidity and urinary catheterization is the most common risk factor of UTI. In this tertiary care institute, we have studied the incidence, microbiology, and the antibiotic sensitivity pattern in catheterized patients. All hospitalized patients in the General Surgery Department of any age group or sex undergoing catheterization (>48 hours) were studied. 1724 catheterized patients have analyzed during the study phase and out of which 246 patients had culture-positive UTI (incidence rate-14.26%). The most common predisposing factor identified as obstructive uropathy (24.8%) followed by malnourishment, other chronic illnesses, and previous history of surgeries. Most common organism E.coli (52%) was isolated and sensitive antibiotic was fosfomycin (92.7%). Keywords: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection, UTI, Hospital acquired infection INTRODUCTION Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is a major preventable cause of in-hospital morbidity and incurs a significant cost on health-care. It is defined as the presence of at least one of the following signs and symptoms after 48 hours of catheterization with no other recognized cause; fever (>100 ◦C), urgency, frequency, dysuria, suprapubic tenderness, pelvic discomfort, costovertebral angle tenderness, hematuria, rigors or delirium in the patient with a positive urine culture. [1] Urinary tract infection (UTI) as the most common healthcare-associated infection accounts for up to 36% of all healthcare- associated infections. CAUTI accounts for up to 80% of these. [2] In hospitalized patients, catheter-associated bacteriuria accounts for many episodes of nosocomial bacteremia, and one study has found an association with increased mortality. [3] The most important predisposing factor for nosocomial UTI is urinary catheterization. The indwelling urethral catheter introduces an inoculum of bacteria into the bladder at the time of insertion, cause movement of pathogens from the meatus to the bladder, allows spread of pathogens to the bladder contaminated tube or bag and provides a frequently manipulated foreign body which is a predisposing factor for pathogens to grow. [4] Several risk factors have been associated with CAUTI. Duration of catheterization, female sex, and diabetes was found to be significantly associated with the acquisition of the infection. Existing data suggest that long-term catheterization potently induces chronic inflammation of the bladder, which likely results in permanent structural changes. [5] Gokula RR et al conducted a review where they found that a physician or