Periurethral Cleaning Prior to Urinary Catheterization in Children: Sterile Water versus 10% Povidone-Iodine

Objective. To compare urinary infection rate in children cleaned with sterile water versus a 10% povidone-iodine before bladder catheterization. Methods. Prospective randomized controlled study of children requiring bladder catheterization in the emergency department whose parents consented to the study were randomly assigned to either of 2 groups, in which sterile water (the "sterile water" group) or 10% povidone-iodine (the "10% povidone-iodine" group) was to be used for peri-urethral cleansing prior to catheterization. Results. The sterile water group had 92 patients and the povidone-iodine group had 94. Most children (87%) were under 12 months of age. Urine cultures were positive in 16% of children in the povidone-iodine group and in 18% in the water group. There was no significant difference in signs and symptoms between the 2 groups. There was no significant association between solution preparation and cultures on univariate regression analysis. Conclusions. Cleaning the periurethral area of children with sterile water prior to catheterization is not inferior to cleaning with povidone-iodine.