Evaluation of povidone-iodine as vesical irrigant for treatment and prevention of urinary tract infections.

This is a preliminary study evaluating diluted solutions of povidone-iodine (PVP-I) as urinary bladder irrigants for the treatment and prevention of urinary tract infection. Diluted povidone-iodine solutions were used as indwelling catheter irrigants and as instillations into the urinary bladder following intermittent catheterization. The diluted PVP-I solutions had no efficacy in either the treatment or prevention of urinary tract infections when used as indwelling urethral or suprapubic catheter irrigants. There was a suggestion of a slight decrease in the incidence of urinary tract infections during the use of PVP-I in the intermittent catheterization group in this uncontrolled study, but the percentage of positive urine cultures was greater than desired. The absence of any unfavorable data has led us to conclude that the diluted PVP-I caused no undesirable side effects in any of the patients treated with this agent, PVP-I bladder irrigation warrants further investigation in special cases such as lower urinary tract fungal infections.