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FREE Infection Prevention Kit

The scope of nosocomial UTIs

In 2002, the CDC estimated that the most common Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAI) were urinary tract infections (UTIs), accounting for 36% of all nosocomial infections. That year, more than 13,000 deaths were attributed to hospital-acquired urinary tract infection. In Acute Care, patients who develop a nosocomial UTI have their hospital stay extended by nearly three days and are nearly three times more likely to die during hospitalization than patients without a UTI.

Up to 25% of hospitalized patients have a urinary catheter placed during their stay—and the use of indwelling urinary catheters accounts for 80% of nosocomial UTIs.

Females under age fifty and elderly male patients are the patient populations most likely to acquire nosocomial UTI. The populations most in danger of developing serious complications from UTI include diabetics and elderly patients experiencing lengthy hospitalization.

Nurse doing a bladder scan

The economics of the problem

Nosocomial UTIs prolong hospitalization by an average of 2.5 days. With the average total hospital cost running approximately $750/day, the additional bill for a hospital-acquired urinary tract infection would be approximately $1,875. Using even a conservative estimate of one million nosocomial UTIs a year in the U.S., that adds up to nearly $2 billion.

An alternative to some urinary catheterizations

Portable bladder ultrasound devices can assess bladder volumes accurately and reliably—and many catheterizations can be avoided. Ultrasound determination of bladder volume with BladderScan® bladder volume instruments has been shown to change nursing practice in 51% of cases. The most common change in practice (32%) is that nurses do not catheterize the patient.

See: References.
Also see: Background Information at US Department of Health and Human Services and Guideline for Preventing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections.

BladderScan® Bladder Volume Instruments

The BladderScan® BVI 9400, with patent-pending NeuralHarmonics™ technology, is a portable, noninvasive instrument that quickly and accurately measures urinary bladder volume and post-void residual (PVR) with 3D ultrasound.

To learn more about the BladderScan®,
view the video.
Free Infection Prevention Kit for medical staff. To reduce costs and shorten patient stays, use bladder ultrasound.

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Infection Prevention Kit

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Contents of the Free
Infection Prevention Kit

Because this is such an important issue for long term care institutions, Verathon Medical, the maker of BladderScan® bladder volume instruments, has put together a free kit for nurses that includes:

  • A reprint from Clinical Infectious Diseases, "Preventing Hospital-Acquired Urinary Tract Infection in the United States: A National Study".
  • A reprint from Clinical Practice entitled, "Bladder Ultrasound: Avoiding Unnecessary Catheterizations".
  • A reprint from the Journal of the American Medical Association, "Non-payment for Harms Resulting From Medical Care".
  • A reprint from the New York Times called, "Lax Catheter Policies Seen at Many Hospitals".
  • An excerpt from the Federal Register that outlines the Federal rules designating catheter-associated urinary tract infections as one of the hospital acquired conditions for which Medicare will not reimburse costs.
  • Two flyers about the BladderScan® BVI 9400 Bladder Volume Instrument and how their use can help reduce the rate of nosocomial UTIs by preventing unnecessary catheterizations.
  • An 11" by 17" poster to remind staff members about this important rule change.

Verathon Medical, on our behalf, will send you a copy (one per person) of the FREE Infection Prevention Kit while supplies last. Shipping is free - all you have to do is enter your shipping information below and click on the "Request the Kit" button.

BladderScan® instruments use ultrasound technology to create a three-dimensional image of the bladder and they calculate volume based on this image. A microprocessor within the instrument automatically calculates and displays bladder volume; the operator simply applies ultrasound coupling medium ultrasonic gel), aims the scanhead, and initiates the scan.


Noninvasive bladder volume measurement via the BladderScan® is quick, easy, and very specific for determining elevated PVR.

You can read more about bladder volume measurement in our article by Diane Newman, Using the BladderScan® for bladder volume assessment.


Continuing Education Program for Health Care Professionals

The "Program of Excellence in Extended Care" is an accredited continuing education program that teaches extended care staff how to provide the best care for residents with bladder conditions, including:

  • Urinary Incontinence
  • Urinary Retention
  • Urinary tract infection

The Program of Excellence is based on the MDS (Minimum Data Set) and CMS FTag 315 regulations for the assessment of residents with bladder dysfunction and covers toileting assistance programs, behavior modification strategies, bladder rehabilitation techniques, environmental accommodation, and device and product management.

You can watch a short presentation by Diane Newman that outlines the content of the 5 credit program. When you are ready to participate in the full program, you can download the PDF from Verathon's website.

Copyright 2009 Seek Wellness LLC. This material was compiled from materials copyrighted by Verathon Inc. and may not be reproduced without permission from Verathon, Inc. VERATHON, BLADDERSCAN, and KNOW THE MATH BEFORE YOU CATH are trademarks of Verathon Inc.