title: Usefulness of gram staining of blood collected from total parenteral nutrition catheter for rapid diagnosis of catheter-related sepsis.
abstract: The accuracy of Gram staining of blood drawn from catheters used to administer total parenteral nutrition was compared with paired quantitative blood cultures for the diagnosis of catheter-related sepsis. Gram staining was positive in 11 of 18 episodes of catheter-related sepsis documented by quantitative culture (sensitivity, 61%) but in none of the 5 episodes of fever unrelated to catheter infection. Thus, this procedure enabled the rapid presumptive diagnosis and guidance of antimicrobial therapy for total parenteral nutrition catheter sepsis, with a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 42%.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Hôpital Erasme, Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moonens
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: el Alami
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Gossum
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Struelens
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serruys
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology*; D016469:Fungemia / Q000175:diagnosis; D005840:Gentian Violet; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010619:Phenazines; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014680:Veins
chemical_list: C035863:Gram's stain; D010619:Phenazines; D005840:Gentian Violet