Vol. 1, Issue 12, Part P (2015)

Material and Method: To evaluate possibility of bacteremia, blood cultures will be taken either from peripheral vein or when no peripheral vein is accessible, obtained directly from the catheter in place. Catheters will be then removed, and the distal 3cm segment will be cut off with sterile scissors and send for culture along with the blood. Isolates from the catheter tip and from blood cultures will be compared. Antibiotic susceptibility tests will be performed in keeping with national committee for clinical laboratory standards recommendations.

Result: Out of 82 patients with central venous catheters studied, 46 (56.09%) catheters showed negative semiquantitative and blood cultures.

Conclusion: The antimicrobial sensitivity patterns of common isolates provide guidelines to start appropriate antibiotic therapy. This can be cost effective and prevent indiscriminate use of antibiotics.