Search

Sepsis and antibiotics: the debate goes on

Sepsis statistics are staggering around the world. The UK Sepsis Trust estimates that there are around 150,000 cases of sepsis in the UK every year and it kills 44,000 patients per year. There are many different definitions and criteria; in...

Antibiotics and flexible cystoscopy

This study is from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York, USA. Thousands of flexible cystoscopies are performed every day worldwide. Do they need antibiotic cover? Flexible cystoscopy may cause urinary tract infection (UTI) in less than 10% of cases. Asymptomatic...

UTI Care – antibiotics or NSAIDs?

This is the cover story of a recent issue of the BMJ. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is becoming a major economic and global problem. This is a randomised, double-blind study from 17 general practices in...

Can antibiotics reduce ‘unnecessary’ prostate biopsies?

With numerous factors capable of influencing prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and therefore the likelihood of biopsy, this multi-centred randomised controlled trial (RCT) was designed to see if two weeks of ciprofloxacin compared to placebo would significantly reduce PSA levels...

Urinary tract infections and antibiotics – the debate goes on

A large number of hospital patients and primary care patients suffer from recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) and urosepsis. Some of these patients end up in intensive care units with multi-organ failure. New draft guidance from the National Institute for...

Comparing NSAIDs with antibiotics in the treatment of uncomplicated UTIs in women

Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common presentation in primary care, however there is increasing concern regarding antibiotic use and resistant organisms. In this double-blind randomised German study, the authors seek to establish if ibuprofen 400mg three times a...

Rectal swab guided antibiotics for TRUS biopsy

This is a single centre retrospective study to examine the effect of rectal swab culture-directed prophylaxis on the incidence of prostate biopsy associated infections. Secondary objectives were to determine the rate of fluoroquinolone resistance and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production in local...

The role of continuous prophylactic antibiotics following JJ stent insertion

Urinary tract infections (UTI) and stent-related symptoms (SRS) are frequently recognised complications of ureteric stent placement. Antibiotic administration at induction prior to ureteric stent insertion is recommended by the European Association of Urology (EAU). Commencing prophylactic antibiotics for the ‘entire...

Is surgical antibiotic prophylaxis necessary for paediatric orchiopexy?

With the rise of resistant organisms to most commonly used antibiotics, there is a plea for judicious use of antibiotics, especially for clean surgical procedures. Potential adverse events associated with antibiotic use include allergic reaction (including anaphylaxis), clostridium difficile infection,...

Non-antibiotic options for recurrent UTI

Recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) imposes a heavy burden on health services. By definition recurrent UTI is two infections in six months or three in one year. The annual incidence of single UTI is 30 per 1000 women. The Scottish...

Fear and frustration among women with recurrent UTIs

The risk of a women developing a urinary tract infection in her lifetime is over 50%, approximately 25% of which become recurrent (rUTIs). This study examined the viewpoints of women with rUTIs through six focus groups at a tertiary centre...

Urethral pain syndrome – is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

Urethral pain syndrome (UPS) is defined in the 2014 EAU Guidelines as the occurrence of chronic or recurrent episodic pain perceived in the urethra, in the absence of proven infection or other obvious local pathology. UPS is often associated with...