The bactericidal efficacy of two antiseptics against common pathogens associated with catheter-associated urinary tract infection in the elderly under divergent conditions: A laboratory-based study.

Background: Cleaning the external urethral orifice in patients with indwelling catheters can effectively reduce the number of local microorganisms. Employing appropriate disinfection strategies can prevent between 17% and 69% of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) cases. However, the optimal antiseptics and their conditions of use (temperature, concentration, and exposure time) remain unclear.

Methods: The suspension quantitative bactericidal test method was employed to evaluate the bactericidal efficacy of two skin and mucous membrane antiseptics, BAC and AEOW, against common pathogens associated with CAUTI in the elderly under various conditions.

Results: Within the observation period, except for the standard strains of E. faecium, other pathogens achieved bactericidal efficacy after being exposed to BAC for 1 min. When the antiseptic is heated to 40 °C, the standard strains of E. faecium can also achieve bactericidal efficacy after being exposed to it for 5 min. Furthermore, upon the addition of 30 g/L bovine serum albumin (BSA) to AEOW, all pathogens except for the clinical strain of E. faecium exhibited bactericidal efficacy within 1 min. When the antiseptic is heated to 40 °C, the clinical strain of E. faecium showed bactericidal efficacy for 3 min. When 3 g/L BSA interference substance was incorporated into AEOW, all pathogens achieved bactericidal efficacy for 30 s.

Conclusion: BAC and AEOW exhibit effective bactericidal activity against common pathogens associated with CAUTI in elderly patients. When used for perineal irrigation, these antiseptics can be heated for improved patient comfort, as temperatures within the range of 40 °C do not affect their disinfection efficacy.