Infections liées aux cathéters veineux : critères de décision de traitement

Whenever a catheter related infection is suspected, two main issues must be addressed: should the catheter be removed and should an empiric antibiotic treatment be prescribed? These questions are still under debate. Some differences are found between French and American guidelines. Main factors leading to decision about these questions are: severity of the sepsis, microorganisms involved and kind of patients we are dealing with.