Picking The Right Antibiotic: Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection

OVERVIEW

This page is dedicated to providing a practical guide to how one should pick the correct antibiotic(s) to use in the setting of a urinary tract infection (UTI).

AT WHAT POINT DO WE DECIDE THE PATIENT NEEDS TREATMENT?

In thinking about UTI, it is important to appreciate that really the patient history in conjunction with urinalysis will help inform the decisions to begin the patient on antibiotics.

Not every UTI progresses to the point of producing purulent urine (shown above) however urine studies are key in raising our suspicions for a UTI (source)
Not every UTI progresses to the point of producing purulent urine (shown above) however urine studies are key in raising our suspicions for a UTI. When working up the UTI, we need to know how to treat it! (source)
WHAT ARE OUR BROAD SPECTRUM TREATMENT OPTIONS?

While cultures may be collected before that start of treatment, it is important to appreciate that bacterial cultures take time to grow, often get contaminated, and that they may not always identify a single pathogen. It is for this reason that typically patients are started on broad spectrum antibiotics (which then can be modified as the results of cultures come back).

 

HOW DO OUR CULTURE RESULTS MODIFY OUR TREATMENT?

Tailoring treatment ultimately depends on which pathogen is isolated in the bacterial cultures.

 

Page Updated: 09.10.2016