CAUTI due to Medical Malpractice
When a patient is hospitalized or recovering from surgery, a urinary catheter may be placed to drain urine. While often necessary, urinary catheters carry serious risks if not managed correctly. One of the most common and dangerous complications is a catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI).
In many cases, CAUTIs are preventable. When hospitals, nursing homes, or healthcare providers fail to follow proper standards of care for catheter use, the result can be a severe infection, sepsis, prolonged hospitalization, or even death. In these cases, a catheter-associated infection may be a result of medical malpractice.
At Lupetin & Unatin, our medical malpractice attorneys help patients and families who have suffered due to preventable infections caused by improper catheter care. Here’s what you need to know about CAUTIs, how they happen, and when legal action may be warranted.
What Is a Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)?
A urinary catheter is a flexible tube inserted into the bladder to collect urine. Catheters may be used during or after surgery, in cases of urinary retention, or when a patient is critically ill and unable to urinate naturally.
When bacteria enter the urinary tract through the catheter, it can lead to a urinary tract infection (UTI). When the infection results directly from catheter use, it is known as a catheter-associated UTI or CAUTI. These infections can spread quickly to the bladder, kidneys, or bloodstream, causing sepsis, which can be life-threatening.
CAUTIs are among the most common hospital-acquired infections in the United States.
How Do Catheter-Associated Infections Happen?
Infections related to urinary catheters are almost always caused by bacteria introduced during catheter insertion or use. Common breakdowns in care that lead to CAUTIs include:
- Prolonged use of a catheter without medical necessity
- Improper insertion technique, such as poor hand hygiene or lack of sterile equipment
- Failure to monitor and maintain catheter cleanliness
- Delays in removing the catheter, even after it is no longer needed
- Negligent nursing care in hospitals or nursing homes, leading to contamination
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has clear guidelines to minimize the risk of CAUTIs, including using catheters only when necessary, removing them as soon as possible, and following strict protocols for hygiene. When healthcare providers fail to follow these standards, patients are at serious risk.
Are CAUTIs Always Due to Medical Malpractice?
Not every catheter-related infection is due to negligence. Some infections may occur despite appropriate and timely care. However, many CAUTIs are preventable and occur because medical staff failed to follow the established standard of care.
Medical malpractice may be a factor if:
- The catheter was placed or kept in place without a valid medical reason
- The provider ignored signs of infection or delayed treatment
- Staff failed to follow infection control protocols
- There was a breakdown in communication between caregivers
If a preventable infection led to sepsis, kidney damage, or death, and proper precautions were not taken, malpractice may have occurred.
What Are the Signs of a Catheter-Associated UTI?
Family members and caregivers should be alert to signs of infection in patients with catheters. Common symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- Pain or burning with urination
- Lower abdominal pain
- Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
- Confusion or sudden changes in mental status (especially in elderly patients)
- General decline in condition, especially in hospitalized or nursing home patients
If a loved one’s condition rapidly deteriorated while they had a catheter in place, it’s important to ask whether an infection was identified and treated promptly—and whether proper catheter care was followed.
How Do CAUTIs Affect Patients?
The effects of catheter-associated urinary tract infections can range from uncomfortable to catastrophic. While some CAUTIs resolve with antibiotics, others can cause serious, life-altering complications, especially if the infection is not detected and treated in time. Potential effects include:
Sepsis and Septic Shock
If the infection spreads from the urinary tract into the bloodstream, it can trigger sepsis, a medical emergency that causes the body to attack its own organs and tissues. Septic shock can result in dangerously low blood pressure, organ failure, and death. Elderly and immunocompromised patients are especially vulnerable.
Permanent Organ Damage
Untreated or severe infections can lead to kidney damage or even kidney failure, especially if the infection ascends into the upper urinary tract. Damage to other organs, such as the heart or lungs, may occur during systemic infection.
Extended Hospitalization and Recovery
A preventable CAUTI can significantly delay a patient’s recovery. What was meant to be a short hospital stay may turn into weeks or months of intensive treatment, rehabilitation, or even long-term care placement due to physical and cognitive decline.
Decline in Function and Quality of Life
Older adults, patients with disabilities, or those recovering from surgery are often set back dramatically by a catheter-related infection. An otherwise recoverable injury or illness may become a permanent disability due to the complications of infection, deconditioning, or loss of independence.
Increased Risk of Death
In some cases, particularly among the elderly or patients with multiple health conditions, a CAUTI can become the tipping point that leads to death. Families are often left wondering how a routine hospitalization turned fatal.
Because CAUTIs are so often preventable, the devastating outcomes they cause can feel all the more unjust. That is why it is critical to investigate whether proper catheter care protocols were followed when a patient suffers serious complications from an infection.
When Can You File a Lawsuit for a Catheter-Associated UTI?
Medical malpractice lawsuits are appropriate when negligent care leads to a preventable injury or death. To file a lawsuit for a CAUTI-related injury, your legal team must prove that:
- A healthcare provider failed to meet the standard of care, such as not removing a catheter in a timely manner or failing to recognize signs of infection;
- That failure directly caused harm, such as sepsis, organ damage, extended hospitalization, or death;
- The injury had significant consequences, whether physical, financial, or emotional.
At Lupetin & Unatin, we work with experienced medical experts to investigate whether the care your loved one received met accepted standards. If not, and that failure resulted in serious harm, we may be able to help you recover compensation through a malpractice claim.
Why Choose Lupetin & Unatin?
Our law firm is dedicated exclusively to representing patients and families harmed by medical negligence. We have successfully handled complex infection-related malpractice cases, including those involving catheter misuse in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
We understand that clients often come to us while grieving or facing major life changes due to medical injuries. Our role is to listen, investigate thoroughly, and fight for justice when health systems fail the people they are supposed to protect.
Talk to a Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today
If you believe that a catheter-associated urinary tract infection harmed you or a loved one, you don’t have to face the situation alone.
Contact Lupetin & Unatin for a free case evaluation. We’ll review your case, answer your questions, and help you understand whether you have a claim for medical malpractice.