TUESDAY, June 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Smoking and using a catheter for more than seven days postsurgery significantly increase the risk for catheter-associated urinary tract infections after radical hysterectomies for cervical cancer, according to a study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Alyssa J. Mercadel, M.D., from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues characterized the rate of and factors associated with catheter-associated urinary tract infections after radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer among 160 patients who had surgery between 2004 to 2020.

The researchers found that 12.5 percent of patients developed catheter-associated urinary tract infections, which were significantly associated with current smoking history (odds ratio [OR], 3.76), minimally invasive surgical approach (OR, 5.24), estimated surgical blood loss >500 mL (OR, 0.18), operative time >300 minutes (OR, 2.92), and increased duration of catheterization (OR, 18.46). Current smoking history and catheterization for more than seven days were independent risk factors for development of catheter-associated urinary tract infections in an adjusted analysis (adjusted ORs, 3.94 and 19.49, respectively).

“Urinary tract dysfunction is one of the most common complications after radical hysterectomy, and prolonged catheterization has previously been defined as a significant risk factor for catheter-associated urinary tract infections,” senior author Jayanthi Lea, M.D., also of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said in a statement. “This study provides concrete guidance on a practice that was previously undefined.”

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