Mucosal Barrier Injury Laboratory Confirmed Bloodstream Infections

Abstract

To increase the awareness of the new CDC survey definition of Mucosal Barrier Injury Laboratory-Confirmed Bloodstream Infection (MBI-LCBI). We included a comparison of the definition of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI), with a high sensitivity but low specificity and Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infection (CRBSI). There are other parameters like the difference between the size of the inoculum (catheter lumen vs peripheral), that increased specificity and is useful for research and clinical decisions. Also, MBI-LCBI secondary to bacterial translocation in patients who had received myeloablative chemotherapy with severe neutropenia is not related to central venous catheter care. This new survey definition is useful for better classification of nosocomial bloodstream infections among patients receiving myeloablative chemotherapy and has impacted diminishing the incidence of CLABSI, which has probably has been overestimated in patients with hematological malignancies. The concept of MBI-LCBI should not be limited to survey purposes; it is also useful for clinical decisions. We propose to incorporate a second set of blood cultures obtained 48 hours after antibiotic treatment onset, one through the line of the CVC and another one at a peripheral site; if negative, it avoids unnecessary removal of the catheter in patients with severe neutropenia or, on the contrary, if positive blood cultures persist after 48 hours of antimicrobial therapy, there is a clear indication for central venous catheter removal. The definition of MBI-LCBI avoids over-diagnosis of CLABSI in patients receiving myeloablative chemotherapy with severe neutropenia.