Evaluation and Management of Urinary Tract Infection in the Emergency Department

Urinary tract infection (UTI) affects patients of all ages and is a diagnosis that emergency physicians might make multiple times per shift. This article reviews the evaluation and management of patients with infections of the urinary tract. Definitions of asymptomatic bacteriuria, uncomplicated UTI. and complicated UTI are presented, as well as techniques for distinguishing them. The pathophysiology and clinical and laboratory diagnoses of UTI are described. Treatment of UTI is reviewed, with attention to bacteriuria and special populations, including pregnant, elderly/geriatric, and spinal cord injury patients.