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Differential time to positivity (DTP) — the difference in time to positivity between blood cultures drawn simultaneously from a central venous catheter (CVC) and a peripheral vein — has been useful in identifying patients with CVC-related bacteremia. In a recent retrospective cohort study conducted at a single large medical center in Seoul, South Korea, researchers explored DTP's usefulness for diagnosing catheter-related candidemia (CRC).
Ninety-nine patients were identified who had Candida-positive blood cultures from both a CVC and a peripheral vein. The patients were designated as having definite CRC (n=47), probable CRC (n=14), or candidemia from another source (n=38), based on predefined criteria. Ninety-one (92%) of 99 patients underw…