Table 3.

CDC Surveillance Definitions for CRBSI.¹³

Laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection	Clinical sepsis	Catheter-associated bloodstream infection
Should meet at least one of the following criteria: Criterion 1. Patient has a recognized pathogen cultured from 1 or more BC, and the pathogen cultured from the blood is not related to an infection at another site. Criterion 2. Patient has at least one of the following signs or symptoms: fever (>100.4°F [>38°C]), chills, or hypotension, and at least one of the following: 1. Common skin contaminant (eg, diphtheroids, Bacillus spp., Propionibacterium spp., coagulase-negative staphylococci, or micrococci) cultured from 2 or more BC drawn on separate occasions. 2. Common skin contaminant (as in 1 above) cultured from at least 1 BC from a patient with an intravenous line, and the physician institutes appropriate antimicrobial therapy. 3. Positive antigen test on blood (eg, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, or group B streptococcus). AND 4. Signs and symptoms with positive laboratory results are not related to an infection at another site.	Should meet at least one of the following criteria: Criterion 1. Patient has at least one of the following clinical signs with no other recognized cause: fever (>100.4°F [>38°C]), hypotension (systolic pressure <90 mm Hg), or oliguria (<20 mL/h), and BC not done or no organisms or antigen detected in blood and no apparent infection at another site, and physician institutes treatment for sepsis. Criterion 2. Patient aged <1 year has at least one of the following clinical signs or symptoms with no other recognized cause: fever (>100.4°F [>38°C]), hypothermia (<98.6°F [<37°C]), apnea, or bradycardia, and BC not done or no organisms or antigen detected in blood and no apparent infection at another site, and physician institutes treatment for sepsis.	Vascular access device that terminates at or close to the heart or one of the great vessels. An umbilical artery or vein catheter is considered a central line. BSI is considered to be associated with a central venous catheter if the catheter was in use during the 48-h period before development of the BSI. If the time interval between onset of infection and device use is >48 h, there should be compelling evidence that the infection is related to the central venous catheter.

Note. CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CRBSI = catheter-related bloodstream infection; BC = blood culture.