Table 2.

Assessment of Complicated vs Uncomplicated Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infection [17]

Criterion	Areas of Controversy
Uncomplicated
Negative follow-up blood culture obtained 2–4 days following initial positive culture	Should positive blood cultures 24–48 hours after the initial set be regarded as evidence of complicated infection?
Defervescence within 72 hours of initiating effective therapy	Should persistent fever be considered a treatment failure?
Exclusion of endocarditis (transesophageal echocardiogram preferred)	Is transthoracic echocardiogram adequate for some patients? Should a negative initial echocardiogram be repeated later in the treatment course?
No evidence of metastatic sites of infection	Should there be standardized imaging to assess for metastatic sites?
No implanted prostheses (eg, prosthetic valves, cardiac devices, and arthroplasties)	Is it necessary to treat patients with extravascular prosthetic material as complicated infection?
Complicated
Any infection not meeting all of the criteria above	What is the role of alternative imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography/computed tomography in evaluation for complicated infection? What is the optimal duration of therapy for complicated vs uncomplicated infections? Can oral antibiotics replace intravenous antibiotics for some of the treatment duration?