Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of tests for the diagnosis and investigation of urinary tract infection in children: a systematic review and economic model. Health Technol Assess. 2006 Oct;10(36):iii-iv, xi-xiii, 1-154. doi: 10.3310/hta10360. Health Technol Assess. 2006. PMID: 17014747 Review.
Background: The method of collection of the urine sample is of paramount importance in making a diagnosis of urinary tract infection in infants and children. Squeezing urine out of disposable diapers can provide a urine sample that can be used to detect chemical abnormalities as well as a specimen suitable for microscopic examination. To date there have been no reported studies on the use of this technique for urine culture as compared with samples collected by suprapubic aspiration and catheterization. Methods: Urine was obtained from 38 infants aged under 2 years who presented with fever with no obvious cause. All infants had urine collected either by catheterization or suprapubic aspiration and by extraction from a disposable diaper. The urine samples were cultured using standard bacteriologic techniques. Results: Five infants had a urinary tract infection, as shown by a pure growth of more than 10(5) colonies/mL of a single species of bacterium. In all the cases the same result was obtained from both the diaper urine sample and the sample obtained by suprapubic aspiration or catheter. In 31 infants the urine samples collected by both techniques (diaper and catheter or suprapubic aspiration) were negative, and in only 2 infants did the diaper specimen yield a positive result, while the urine obtained by suprapubic aspiration or catheter was sterile. Conclusions: Urine obtained from a disposable diaper can provide a valid sample for diagnosing urinary tract infection. The technique is simple, and can be carried out readily in ambulatory settings with minimal equipment and expense.
Urine is a waste product produced by the kidneys, so testing it can show if the kidneys are not working well. Testing a urine sample is usually the first stage in carrying out a general assessment, before blood tests are needed. This information sheet from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) explains how to collect a clean urine sample for testing. Make sure you do not touch the inside of the urine sample bottle or test tube or the top edge – you may introduce bacteria which could contaminate the sample. Only use the urine sample bottle or test tube provided – if you have not been given one, ask at your family doctor (GP) surgery. The bottle or test tube does not need to be completely full – usually a small sample is enough for testing.
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Quite often, the doctor or nurse will test the urine straightaway using a testing strip. This contains chemicals that react with the urine.
Occasionally, particularly if an infection has been identified, the doctor or nurse may send the sample off to the laboratory for testing. The laboratory will grow the bacteria in the sample to try to work out the particular type. This means that any antibiotic your child has will work specifically against the bacteria present.
The Urodynamics department in collaboration with the Child and Family Information Group
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