Skip to main content
. 2016 Sep 27;3:2054358116669129. doi: 10.1177/2054358116669129

Table 2.

CRBSI Clinical Definitions.

KDOQI12 CDC13 IDSA14 Public Health Agency of Canada15
Definite: Same organism from a semiquantitative culture of the catheter tip (>15 CFU/catheter segment) and from a BC in a symptomatic patient with no other apparent source of infection.
Probable: Defervescence of symptoms after antibiotic therapy with or without removal of the catheter, in the setting in which BC confirms infection, but catheter tip does not (or catheter tip does, but blood does not) in a symptomatic patient with no other apparent source of infection.
Possible: Defervescence of symptoms after antibiotic treatment or after removal of catheter in the absence of laboratory confirmation of BSI in a symptomatic patient with no other apparent source of infection.
Clinical manifestations and at least 1 positive BC from a peripheral vein and no other apparent source, with either positive semiquantitative (>15 CFU/catheter segment) or quantitative (>103 CFU/catheter segment) culture, whereby the same organism (species and antibiogram) is isolated from the catheter segment and a peripheral blood sample;
Simultaneous quantitative cultures of blood samples with a ratio of ≥3:1 (catheter vs peripheral);
Differential period of catheter culture versus peripheral BC positivity of 2 h;
OR
Isolation of the same organism from semiquantitative or quantitative culture segment and from blood (preferably from a peripheral vein) of a patient with accompanying symptoms of BSI and no other apparent source of infection.
Bacteremia/fungemia in a patient with an intravascular catheter with at least 1 positive BC and with clinical manifestations of infections (ie, fever, chills, and/or hypotension) and no apparent source for the BSI except the catheter
AND
One of the following should be present:
A positive semiquantitative (>15 CFU/catheter segment) or quantitative (>103 CFU/catheter segment) culture whereby the same organism (species and antibiogram) is isolated from the catheter segment and peripheral blood.
Simultaneous quantitative BC with a >5:1 ratio catheter versus peripheral.
Differential time period of catheter culture versus peripheral BC positivity of >2 h.
Definite: Single positive BC and positive culture result of catheter segment with identical organism or ≥10-fold colony count difference in BC drawn from device and peripheral blood
OR
Single positive BC and positive culture from discharge from exit site or tunnel with identical organism.
Probable: ≥2 positive BC results with no evidence for source other than the device or single positive BC for S aureus or Candida species with no evidence for source other than the device
OR
Single positive BC for coagulase-negative staphylococci, Bacillus, Corynebacterium jeikeium, Enterococcus, Trichophyton, or Malassezia species in immunocompromised or neutropenic host or patient receiving total parenteral nutrition with no evidence for source other than a centrally placed device.
Possible: Single positive BC result with no evidence for source except a centrally placed device, and patient or organism does not fit criteria for probable infection.

Note. CRBSI = catheter-related bloodstream infection; KDOQI = Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative; CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; IDSA = Infectious Diseases Society of America; CFU = colony-forming unit; BC = blood culture; S aureus = Staphylococcus aureus; BSI = bloodstream infection.