The purple urinary bag syndrome – Be alerted, not alarmed!

Abstract

Purple-appearing urinary catheter and urosac can be alarming to the patient's attenders and doctors. It may be misinterpreted and overinvestigated if the underlying causes and mechanisms of this phenomenon are not understood. Urinary tract infection with sulfatase- and phosphatase-producing bacteria is implicated in the pathogenesis. We hereby report the appearance of purple color of urinary bag and catheter in an elderly female patient with dementia and chronic paraplegia on long-term Foley's catheterization.

Keywords

• Foley's catheter
• urinary catheterization
• urinary infection