Blood culture differential time to positivity enables safe catheter retention in suspected catheter-related bloodstream infection: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical usefulness and safety of the differential-time-to-positivity (DTP) method for managing the suspicion of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI) in comparison with a standard method that includes catheter removal in critically ill patients.

Methods-design: A prospective randomized study was carried out.

Setting: A 16-bed clinical-surgical ICU (July 2007-February 2009).