Abstract: Bladder Ultrasound Reduces Catheterizations

Roxane Tracey. "Bladder Ultrasound Reduces Catheterizations." Advance for Radiologic Science Professionals (April 30, 2001): 42-43.

Summary:
Tracey reviews the results of a recent study conducted at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis (Frederickson, et al., 2000), which showed that the use of the BladderScan^® reduced the number of catheterizations and urinary tract infections in acute care patients, thereby lowering costs and increasing patient satisfaction. She interviews Martha Frederickson, RN, one of the study's authors, and discusses BladderScan technology, describing how it works, its accuracy, and its applications.

Scanning bladder volume with the BladderScan is a one-step process that takes less than a minute to perform. Little training is necessary to use the BladderScan, and it is extremely accurate, as it provides a reading of a three-dimensional image of the bladder. According to Martha Frederickson, the BladderScan "has just taken a lot of the guesswork out of when you should catheterize a patient . . . [this] has helped to avoid catheterizations for some patients."

Noninvasive bladder ultrasound technology helps patients avoid the potential complications associated with catheterization and reduces the elevated healthcare costs associated with UTI. Based on statistics from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by reducing UTI rates, the use of ultrasound technology may produce budget savings of approximately $200,000 annually for a 500-bed hospital.

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