Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jun;32(7):695-702.
doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1395474. Epub 2014 Dec 17.

Urinary tract infections in a neonatal intensive care unit

Mark F Weems  1 , Daniel Wei  2 , Rangasamy Ramanathan  2 , Lorayne Barton  2 , Linda Vachon  3 , Smeeta Sardesai  2
Affiliations

Urinary tract infections in a neonatal intensive care unit

Mark F Weems et al. Am J Perinatol. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Our aim was to describe laboratory findings and imaging results for neonatal patients diagnosed with urinary tract infection (UTI).

Study design: Medical records were reviewed for infants diagnosed with UTI in a single neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) over a 13-year period.

Results: Of the 8,241 patients admitted to the NICU during the study period, 137 infants were diagnosed with UTI. Imaging was reviewed for 101 patients. Renal pelvis dilation was found in 34% of patients and vesicoureteral reflux was found in 21%. Renal pelvis dilation was not associated with reflux (OR: 0.53 [95% CI: 0.18-1.5]). The sensitivity of urinalysis to detect a positive culture was 76%, and the specificity was 41%. Tests of cure for bacterial infections were uniformly negative.

Conclusion: Renal pelvis dilation was common but not associated with reflux among NICU patients diagnosed with UTI. Diagnostic criteria in this population are not well defined, and guidelines are needed for diagnosis and management of UTIs in NICU patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

MeSH terms