A Comparison of Bladder Catheterization and Suprapubic Aspiration Methods for Urine Sample Collection From Infants With a Suspected Urinary Tract Infection

This study compares 2 sampling methods for urine cultures in young infants. We analyzed data on urine samples obtained from 83 infants using 2 sources of urine: suprapubic bladder aspiration (SPA) and bladder catheterization. All specimens were subjected to both urinalysis and culture, and the results compared. Eighty-three infants with positive urine culture results obtained by bladder catheterization were subjected to SPA. Of these, only 24 (28.9%) and 20 (24%) yielded positive urine culture and abnormal urinalysis data, respectively. Samples obtained via catheterization had a high false-positive rate (71.1%). The sensitivity and specificity of urinalysis were 66.7% (95% CI, 44.68% to 84.33%) and 93.22% (95% CI, 83.53% to 98.08%), respectively. In infants younger than 12 months, SPA is the best method to avoid bacterial contamination, showing better results than transurethral catheterization.