Avoiding the Blame Game: UTI Management in Individuals with Neurogenic Bladder

With the neurologically impaired bladder prone to bacterial colonization, notes pediatric urologist Hillary L. Copp, MD, MS, urinary tract infection diagnosis and treatment become complicated – and yet intervention is essential to preserving kidney function in babies with spina bifida. In this talk, she explains that physicians tend to over- or undertreat these patients, either assuming a UTI is present or not considering one. She then offers a middle pathway that tailors testing, treatment and ongoing care to individual circumstances while also emphasizing UTI prevention, showing the evidence for which techniques are effective and ways to maximize their safe use.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the etiology of UTIs among individuals with neurogenic bladder.
• Demonstrate how to evaluate for UTI among individuals with neurogenic bladder.
• Examine how to prevent and treat UTI among individuals with neurogenic bladder.