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Antimicrobial catheters coated with poly-L-lysine for the prevention of bacteriuria in adults requiring short-term catheterization: a multicenter randomized controlled trial

Li X, Liu J, Zuo S, Xiao J, Ping H, Yang K, Yang Y, Qiao L et al.

BMC medicine, 2026

150 participants · 1 citation

Abstract

Background To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a newly developed catheter coated with antimicrobial poly-L-lysine (PLL) in reducing the risk of catheter-associated bacteriuria. Methods A prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled noninferiority trial was conducted among patients who required indwelling catheterization between February 23, 2023, and January 30, 2024. The experimental group used antimicrobial PLL catheters, and the control group used noble metal alloys (NMA) coated catheters. The primary outcome was the incidence of catheter-associated bacteriuria. The secondary outcome was the total bacterial count per unit surface area of the catheter body in the urethra after catheterization. The safety evaluation included complications related to catheterization. The noninferiority threshold was set at 10%. Results Three hundred patients were enrolled, while the full analysis set (FAS) included 150 patients who received PLL catheters and 150 patients who received NMA catheters. There were 10 cases (6.9%) of bacteriuria in the experimental group and 15 cases (10.1%) in the control group. The difference in the incidence of bacteriuria between the experimental and control groups was − 3.1% (95% CI [− 7.2%, 6.6%], p = 0.3195). Four patients experienced symptoms compared to 6 in the control group during catheterization (p = 0.750). The proportion of patients experiencing abnormal urine white blood cells in the experimental group was lower (6.2% vs. 12.8%, p = 0.0194).…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 150 participants or records.

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