Ayurveda intervention prevents the recurrence of catheter-associated urinary tract infection

ABSTRACT:

Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) remains one of the most prevalent healthcare-associated infections. Despite continuous advances in diagnostic and preventive strategies, antibiotic resistance has rendered CAUTI management increasingly challenging. Patients requiring long-term catheterization, particularly those with neurogenic bladder, are prone to recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) and eventual frequent antibiotic exposure. This case describes a 35-year-old Indian male residing in Australia with neurogenic bladder performing Clean Intermittent Catheterization (CIC) for 5 years. During this period, he frequently suffered recurrent UTIs, pelvic inflammation, and testicular swelling, managed repeatedly with antibiotics. Since initiating Ayurvedic treatment, the patient remained infection-free for five months, and subsequent urine cultures showed no bacterial growth. Although the patient’s CIC routine remained unchanged due to persistent neurogenic bladder, the absence of recurrent infections following Ayurvedic intervention provided notable clinical improvement and suggests potential benefits of such therapies in the prevention of CAUTI. Further systematic clinical trials are needed to validate the efficacy of Ayurveda-based approaches in this clinical setting.