Incidence of infectious complications following transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada: A retrospective population-based analysis

Abstract

Introduction: We have seen an increased risk of infectious complications following transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy (TRUS-PB). Fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics are common for prophylaxis prior to TRUS-PB. We evaluate whether increasing FQ resistance correlates with increased incidence of post-biopsy infectious complications at our institution.Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart and electronic health record review on 927 patients who underwent TRUS-PB between January and July of 2012 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We prospectively collected the following variables: age, pre-biopsy prostate-specific antigen, and date of biopsy. We documented presentation to an emergency department within 30 days of TRUS-PB for infectious and non-infectious complications.Results: Of the 927 patients, 58 patients (6.3%) were admitted to the emergency department due to post-TRUS-PB complications within 30 days post-biopsy. The most common infectious complications were sepsis in 21 patients (2.2%), followed by urinary tract infection (UTI) in 9 (0.9%), and prostatitis in 4 (0.4%). We found that 83% of the septic episodes and 66.6% of the UTIs were attributed to ciprofloxacin resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli). The incidence of non-infectious complications was as follows: urinary retention in 12 (1.2%), hematuria in 9 (0.9%), and rectal bleeding in 8 (0.8%).Conclusion: Our results suggest an increased incidence of infectious complications caused by FQ resistant organisms following TRUS-PB. This finding could be attributed to increasing community resistance to ciprofloxacin. The current antimicrobial prophylactic regimen needs to be re-evaluated, and a novel approach may need to be considered.