OBJECTIVE: The study describes a method of quantitatively examining vascular catheters with the aid of hemocultural devices BacT/Alert. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The amount of bacteria present on the surface of the vascular catheters was determined based on the time to detection (TTD) in hemocultural vials inoculated with bacterial suspension stirred off the catheter surface. RESULTS: A total number of 348 vascular catheters was examined with this new method. Positive cultures were detected in 26 (7.5 %) catheters. Accordance to the results of microbiological catheter examination with clinical condition of the patient was found in 93.1 %. False positivity occurred in 1.1 % (4) and false negativity in 5.7 % (20) of cases. On the basis of clinical symptoms 42 cases of catheter sepsis were diagnosed out of which 22 (52.4 %) positive microbiological quantitative examinations of vascular catheters were established. The most frequent pathogen was coagulase negative staphylococci. CONCLUSIONS: The new method, when compared with present methods, is simpler, faster and able to detect the most frequent agent of catheter infection.

Ustav klinické mikrobiologie Univerzita Karlova Praha Lékarská fakulta v Hradci Králové Fakultní nemocnice Hradec Králové