REAGENT STRIP TESTING URINE FOR SIGNIFICANT BACTERIURIA IN A URODYNAMIC CLINIC

Objectives To determine the effectiveness of two reagent strips in det ecting significant bacteriuria amongst patients attending for urodynam ic assessment. Patients and methods Four hundred patients undergoing u rodynamic assessment were recruited for the study. Routine diagnostic catheter specimens of urine were tested for nitrite, leucocytes and pr otein. Results The leucocytes and nitrite strips had a high specificit y rate of 99.5%. The frequency of significant bacteriuria in our popul ation was 7% (n=28). Conclusion Culturing samples which test negative for these strips is unnecessary. Reagent strip testing of urine provid es a cheap, rapid method of screening for infection.