Nadine and Lynn are correct on this one. Our head of ID will not allow the culture of a tip without a positive blood culture.
Bob >>> "Lynn Hadaway" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 5/31/2006 9:32:58 PM >>> The process you are referring to require sacrifice of the catheter before a diagnosis is made. There is a better way. Draw blood cultures from the catheter and from a peripheral site. There are 2 ways to assess these cultures 1. positive for catheter related infection if the colony count is more than 5 times greater from the catheter than from the peripheral site. OR 2. time to positivity - catheter is positive when the catheter sample begins to grow bugs 2 hours before the peripheral sample. Lynn At 6:16 PM -0700 5/31/06, Jennifer Kettle wrote: >When culturing for suspected infusion-related infections is it >necessary to obtain both the catheter tip AND the catheter skin >segment for culture? I am still working to develop a standardized >care set for our computer system to help make the diagnosis of >suspected CRBSI easier as well as to encourage consistency. I am >also a member of the infection control committee here. The infection >control committee director (MD) does not feel that it is necessary >and compliance with our current policy to obtain the skin segment is >next to none anyhow. I am on the fence as I am having difficulty >interpreting the 2006 standards in regard to this. We are also in >the process of reviewing our current policy regarding this >procedure. Standard #58 under practice criteria E. states, "When >culturing a central vascular catheter segment, either the catheter >tip or a subcutaneous segment should be submitted for culture." Why >would one ever want to culture just the skin segment and not the >tip? Don't you need at least the tip for culture? Any input is >always appreciated. Thanks in advance. Jenny -- Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RNC, CRNI Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc. 126 Main Street, PO Box 10 Milner, GA 30257 http://www.hadawayassociates.com office 770-358-7861
