INFECTION RISK AND POTENTIAL CONTAMINATION OF URINE SPECIMENS ASSOCIATED WITH SAMPLE PORT DESIGN OF CATHETER LEG BAGS

The ease of disinfection of the sample ports of three types of urine d rainage leg bags with different sampling port systems was assessed usi ng a bladder bag model. The ports were contaminated with Escherichia c oli, 'disinfected' using a standard method, then sampled at time inter vals up to one week after contamination. It was discovered that leg ba gs which employ a needle-based sampling system (the 'sample safe port system') were easier to disinfect than those which did not, and that o rganisms are retained in large enough numbers to lead to misdiagnosis of a urinary tract infection or to pose a retrograde infection risk.