Hi,
sorry to hear about the UTI - I assume he has started on antibiotics for it?
If you have not done so already, I would strongly recommend a call to his surgeon to run it by them. The surgeon's office can best answer your questions on what to watch for.
Hardware infection is usually treated with a long course of IV antibiotics.
I sort of remember someone else here who got a UTI after surgery (common from the bladder catheter) and it was successfully treated without getting to the hardware. I think the UTI would have to turn into a kidney infection and get into the blood to infect the hardware.
Good luck and I hope this will clear up very soon.
Gayle, age 50
Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1
mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
2017 curves stable/skeletely mature
also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable