“Smart catheters” may fight catheter-related infections

A new ''smart catheter'' that senses the start of an infection, and automatically releases an anti-bacterial substance, is being developed to combat the problem of catheter-related blood and urinary tract infections, scientists reported at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, last week.

Dipankar Koley, PhD, who delivered the report, said the ''smart catheter'' technology is being developed for both catheters inserted into blood vessels and the urinary tract.

''About 1.5 million healthcare-associated infections are reported in the United States alone each year, resulting in 99,000 deaths and up to $45 billion in extra health care costs,'' said Koley.

''Urinary tract infections, as one example, are the most common source of institutionally acquired infections in both acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities,'' said Koley, whose report focused on early developmental work on the technology. ''Our smart catheter is being developed in response to that need.''

Koley, a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Mark Meyerhoff, PhD, at the University of Michigan, said the research team (including Chuanwu Xi, Ph.D., and Jianfeng Wu, PhD, calls the new device an ''electromodulated smart catheter.''

He explained that bacterial infections can start on the surface of catheters, soft, flexible tubes inserted into blood vessels to deliver medication and for other purposes, and into the urinary tract of patients to drain urine. Some of the 30 million urinary catheters inserted each year, for instance, remain in place briefly, such as during surgical procedures.