Defining intravascular catheter-related infections: a plea for uniformity.

This article defines the complex interaction between catheterized patients and invading microbial pathogens. Catheter colonization reflects significant growth of a microbe on a catheter component. Localized intravascular catheter-related infection denotes infection at the exit site, tunnel tract, or pocket, in the absence of bloodstream infection. Systemic intravascular catheter-related infection is a complication of colonization or localized infection, usually documented by invasion of the bloodstream. Catheter sepsis is a systemic infection that is difficult to define because symptoms associated with bloodstream infection caused by the most common pathogens to infect catheterized patients, coagulase-negative staphylococci, may not meet the previously published criteria of sepsis. It is hoped that the information contained here will lead to greater uniformity in the definitions used by the many investigators in this fascinating field.