Indwelling urinary catheters are drainage devices inserted into the bladder and are held in place by an inflatable balloon. The use of urinary catheters, while essential to bladder management, places the user at risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infections. Prevention of such infections in long-term catheter users could improve quality of life, and antimicrobial catheters may be more cost-effective compared with current plain catheters. We have developed and extensively characterised an indwelling antimicrobial urinary catheter impregnated with rifampicin, sparfloxacin and triclosan. We aimed to assess the effect of the antimicrobial urinary catheter on the number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, blockages, unscheduled catheter changes, quality of life and resource use compared to usual care, over a 1-year period. We also aimed to assess the relative long-term safety, acceptability and cost-effectiveness of the novel catheter compared to current practice.
