Bacteriuria with fever after spinal cord injury.

Urinary tract infection continues to be a common problem among spinal cord injured (SCI) individuals despite the strides that have been made during the last decade in the care of the neurogenic bladder. A critical analysis of the system of drainage compared with the occurrence of bacteriuria with fever (BWF) is reported in a group of 705 SCI patients. At the first year (year 1) follow-up, patients being catheterized by someone else (ICO) were much more likely to have experienced at least one episode of BWF than those on self-intermittent catheterization (SIC) (p less than 0.025) or those using an indwelling catheter (IND) (p less than 0.005). In patients who underwent external sphincterotomy, the incidence of BWF was significantly decreased in year 1 (p less than 0.025) compared to those on ICO.