Does the addition of disinfectant to urine drainage bags prevent infection in catheterised patients?

The value of adding chlorhexidine to urine drainage bags of male patients treated with indwelling catheters after prostatectomy and other transurethral operations was assessed in a randomised, prospective, controlled was assessed in a randomised, prospective, controlled study. Chlorhexidine kept the contents of all drainage bags sterile, but the frequency of urinary infection in the chlordexidine group (51%) did not differ significantly from that in the control group (45%). Most infections were endogenous, caused by organisms which probably came from the patient's own urethra. It was concluded that the method has no value in urology units where standards of catheter care and closed drainage are properly maintained. Controlled studies in other types of catheterised patients are needed, especially when the risks of cross-infection are high.