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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Confirmatory Test For UTI

Hello Dr. Rynne. Thank you for offering to help. I have a feeling your 49 years of experience will prove extremely valuable in answering this question. How is it possible that an elderly patient (90 y/o) who displayed persistent symptoms of UTI to be tested for same 5-6 times in a 5-month period, (by 3 different physicians [one was a urologist] and a home health nurse) always with negative results, to finally be diagnosed with septicemia only after being admitted to ER? How could it not have been obvious? Her urine smelled horrible. Are doctors no longer taught how to examine a specimen under microscope? What could possibly explain how such an infection would fail to show up in multiple urine tests?
Mon, 21 May 2018
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General Surgeon,  's  Response
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service.

I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

There should be some level of discrepancy in reporting, but it cannot be normal every time.

I think, there might be sample collection error, either container issue, no fresh urine or others. Confirmatory test for UTI is urine microscopy itself along with urine culture in selected cases.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
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Suggest Confirmatory Test For UTI

Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. There should be some level of discrepancy in reporting, but it cannot be normal every time. I think, there might be sample collection error, either container issue, no fresh urine or others. Confirmatory test for UTI is urine microscopy itself along with urine culture in selected cases. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.