Increased number of positive coagulase-negative staphylococci in blood cultures is partly explained by increased use of intra-arterial catheters in patients with COVID-19

Abstract

Approximately one-third of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) have indwelling arterial catheters (IACs), mainly used for continuous blood pressure monitoring, blood sampling for laboratory analysis, and arterial blood gas monitoring [1]. The use of IACs increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic due to increased need for arterial blood gas measurement in monitoring respiratory status. During the pandemic, we observed a substantially higher rate of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS)-positive blood cultures in patients in the ICU.