Intravenous catheter tip culture
Last updated: Wednesday, 17, March, 2004
| Item | Process |
|---|---|
| Specimen | After removal of the catheter under aseptic conditions, the distal 5cm of the catheter should be cut with sterile scissors into a sterile container for transport to the laboratory. |
| Method | The most widely used method involves rolling the tip across an agar plate in a standardised manner and counting the colonies present after incubation. |
| Application | Diagnosis of intravenous catheter-related bacteraemia. |
| Interpretation | Isolation of >15 cfu (colonies) of the same organism as that isolated from a peripherally collected blood culture differentiates catheter-related bloodstream infection from non-catheter-related bacteraemia. Catheter-related local infections are very uncommon and bacteraemia almost never occurs if <15 cfu are present. The positive predictive value of >15 cfu varies depending on the criteria for microbiological testing (eg, on routine removal at the cessation of therapy versus on the occurrence of a new fever), the composition of the catheter and the identification of the organism isolated. |
| Reference | Dooley DP et al. J Clin Microbiol 1996; 34: 409-412. Siegman-Igra Y et al. J Clin Microbiol 1997; 35: 928-936. |