Hospital-acquired listeriosis linked to a persistently contaminated milkshake machine.

One case of hospital-acquired listeriosis was linked to milkshakes produced in a commercial-grade shake freezer machine. This machine was found to be contaminated with a strain of Listeria monocytogenes epidemiologically and molecularly linked to a contaminated pasteurized, dairy-based ice cream product at the same hospital a year earlier, despite repeated cleaning and sanitizing. Healthcare facilities should be aware of the potential for prolonged Listeria contamination of food service equipment. In addition, healthcare providers should consider counselling persons who have an increased risk for Listeria infections regarding foods that have caused Listeria infections. The prevalence of persistent Listeria contamination of commercial-grade milkshake machines in healthcare facilities and the risk associated with serving dairy-based ice cream products to hospitalized patients at increased risk for invasive L. monocytogenes infections should be further evaluated.

Absence of antibody to human immunodeficiency virus in long-term, socially rehabilitated methadone maintenance patients.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has become widespread among parenteral drug abusers. We measured antibody to HIV and hepatitis B virus markers in 58 long-term, socially rehabilitated methadone-maintained former heroin addicts. None of the 58 had antibody to HIV, but one or more markers of hepatitis B virus infection were seen in 53 (91%). The duration of methadone maintenance was 16.9 +/- 0.5 years, and the median dose of methadone was 60 mg (range, 5 to 100 mg). Before methadone treatment, the patients had abused heroin parenterally for 10.3 +/- 1.7 years, and they had engaged in additional high-risk practices for HIV infection. We conclude that successful outcomes during methadone maintenance treatment are associated with sparing of parenteral drug abusers from HIV infection.

Candida krusei fungemia. An escalating serious infection in immunocompromised patients.

BACKGROUND: Candida krusei is inherently resistant to fluconazole and is emerging as a frequent cause of fungemia in patients with hematologic malignant neoplasms. OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk and prognostic factors associated with C krusei fungemia in comparison with Candida albicans fungemia in patients with cancer. METHODS: Retrospective study of 57 cases of C krusei fungemia occurring at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tex, from 1989 to 1996. The C krusei cases were compared with 57 cases of C albicans fungemia with respect to demographics, underlying cancer, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, immunosuppression status, chemotherapy, and the use of central venous catheters, as well as fluconazole prophylaxis. RESULTS: At our institution, C krusei accounted for 5% of fungemias during 1989 through 1992 and for 10% during 1993 through 1996. Patients with C krusei fungemia more often had leukemia than patients with C albicans (77% vs 11%; P =.02), whereas catheter-related infections were more common among patients with C albicans fungemia (42% vs 0%; P<.001). Patients with C krusei fungemia had a lower response rate (51% vs 69%; P =.05), largely because they more frequently were neutropenic and had disseminated infection. Mortality related to fungemia was 49% in the cases with C krusei vs 28% in C albicans. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that persistent neutropenia (P =.02) and septic shock (P =.002) were predictors of poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: In neutropenic patients, C krusei fungemia is associated with high mortality. It should be suspected in patients with leukemia who are receiving fluconazole prophylaxis and should be treated aggressively with an amphotericin B regimen.

Infection control of nosocomial respiratory viral disease in the immunocompromised host.

Among immunocompromised adults, such as bone marrow transplant recipients, more than half of respiratory viral infections are complicated by pneumonia, with an associated mortality rate > 50%. Nosocomial transmission of respiratory viral pathogens, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza, in the immunocompromised patient has been reported frequently and usually occurs during a community outbreak. In view of the poor outcome in this subset of patients, intensive efforts should be directed at instituting prevention measures that would interrupt nosocomial transmission. At M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, a multifaceted infection control strategy resulted in a significant decrease in and almost complete interruption of the nosocomial transmission of RSV infections in immunocompromised patients over a 3-year period (1994-1996). For influenza virus, special emphasis should be given to vaccination of hospital personnel before the influenza season to prevent and control nosocomial transmission. In highly immunocompromised patients, prophylactic use of antiviral agents should be considered during an outbreak or when the frequency of nosocomial transmission is high. An aggressive multifaceted infection control strategy appears to be effective in reducing the frequency of nosocomial transmission of respiratory viral infections in immunocompromised patients. Universal and timely influenza vaccination of hospital personnel who care for immunocompromised patients is necessary.

Respiratory viral infections in immunocompetent and immunocompromised persons.

The acute respiratory illnesses are the most common type of acute illness in the United States today. The respiratory viruses--which include influenza viruses, parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, and adenoviruses--cause the majority of these illnesses. Some of these viruses cause illness throughout the year, whereas others are most common in winter. All population groups experience these infections and illnesses. As the number of elderly persons and those with underlying disease increases, awareness is growing that these common infections can have serious consequences. This has recently been emphasized for immunocompromised persons. At the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), infection surveillance of mostly hospitalized adults with leukemia or a recent bone marrow transplant yielded a respiratory virus from 181 of 668 (27.1%) respiratory illness episodes. In descending order of frequency, infections with RSV, rhinoviruses, influenza viruses, parainfluenza viruses, and adenoviruses were detected in each of three surveillance years. High frequencies of nosocomial acquisition occurred, as has been noted in prior reports. Similarly, persistence of infection and high frequencies of pneumonia and death among infected patients occurred, which have also been noted earlier. At MDACC, pneumonia occurred in 58-78% of infected patients, and 22-44% died. The role of the virus infection in many cases of pneumonia is uncertain, but death from pure viral pneumonia is well documented. A number of immune deficiencies in this patient population and options for control of these infections have been described that can, respectively, account for the medical problem and provide ways to approach prevention and treatment.

Community respiratory virus infections in immunocompromised patients with cancer.

Community respiratory viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza viruses, parainfluenza viruses, adenoviruses, and picornaviruses, are an important cause of respiratory disease in the immunocompromised adult with cancer. Recent studies have demonstrated that a minimum of 31% of adult bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients and 18% of adults with leukemia who are hospitalized with an acute respiratory illness have a community respiratory virus infection. The temporal occurrence of these infections in immunocompromised patients tends to mirror their occurrence in the community. The clinical illnesses range from self-limited upper respiratory illnesses to fatal pneumonias, depending on the type of virus and the type and degree of immunosuppression. The pneumonias may be viral, bacterial/fungal, or mixed. The highest frequency of progression to fatal viral pneumonia has been reported for RSV infections in recently transplanted BMT recipients and myelosuppressed patients with leukemia. Studies have suggested that early therapy for RSV pneumonia with a combination of aerosolized ribavirin and intravenous immunoglobulin may be of benefit. Defining effective prophylactic and therapeutic strategies will be a challenge, given the diversity of viruses, the wide spectrum of immunocompromised patients with varying vulnerability to serious community respiratory virus disease, and the frequent presence of other opportunistic infections and medical problems. A combination of antiviral drugs and immunotherapy may need to be considered for their potential additive effect as well as to prevent the emergence of resistant virus, as occurs during monotherapy for influenza with amantadine or rimantadine. The optimal therapies need to be defined in controlled trials; however, it appears that a favorable response will hinge on the initiation of therapy at an early stage of the respiratory illness.

Prevention and treatment of respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza viruses in immunocompromised patients.

Immunocompromised patients are vulnerable to severe infections due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza viruses (PIV), and therefore prevention and treatment strategies must be considered. The prevention of RSV disease with high-titer RSV-specific immune globulin has been documented in very young children but has not been systematically studied in high-risk adults. Vaccines against RSV and PIV are under development, but their use in immunocompromised patients is problematic. Ribavirin aerosol therapy is licensed for the treatment of RSV in pediatric patients and has also been used to treat RSV disease in adults and PIV disease in severely immunocompromised children and adults. Uncontrolled trials show that early therapy with ribavirin aerosol may be beneficial, but treatment of pneumonia in patients with respiratory failure is rarely successful. Other potential treatments for RSV or PIV disease include high-dose, short-duration ribavirin therapy; combined immunoglobulin and ribavirin therapy; polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies; and, potentially, immunomodulators.

Bacteremia and fungemia in patients with neoplastic disease.

This study reviewed 431 episodes of septicemia occurring in 356 patients with cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center during 1982. The most frequent organisms causing 273 episodes in 239 non-neutropenic patients were Escherichia coli (20 percent), Staphylococcus aureus (13 percent), polymicrobic (12 percent), Pseudomonas species (8 percent), Klebsiella species (7 percent), Candida species (7 percent), Bacteroides species (6 percent), Enterobacter species (4 percent), and Clostridium species (4 percent). The overall mortality was 31 percent (21 percent with adequate therapy; 50 percent with inadequate therapy). The most frequent organisms causing 158 episodes in 117 neutropenic patients were polymicrobic (21 percent), E. coli (16 percent), Klebsiella species (15 percent), Pseudomonas species (8 percent), Candida species (6 percent), S. aureus (6 percent), Streptococcus faecalis (5 percent), S. epidermidis (4 percent), and Corynebacterium CDC-JK (3 percent). The overall mortality was 52 percent (36 percent with adequate therapy; 88 percent with inadequate therapy). Since a review a decade ago, the spectrum of organisms changed in that the gram-positive organisms, S. faecalis, S. epidermidis, and C. CDC-JK, emerged as important pathogens. Neutropenic patients had a high incidence (42 percent) of septicemia due to multiple organisms, occurring concurrently or sequentially. The overall mortality of these patients was exceptionally high (80 percent). In contrast, the overall mortality of neutropenic patients with single-organism septicemia was comparable to that of non-neutropenic patients with single-organism septicemia (37 percent versus 29 percent).

Continuous high-grade mycobacterium avium-intracellulare bacteremia in patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Serial quantitative blood cultures were performed before and during treatment in four patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare bacteremia. Initial colony counts were 350 to 28,000 cfu/ml, the counts declined substantially with treatment in two patients, and they declined modestly with treatment but rose when it was stopped in the other two. In one patient who was studied in detail, most of the circulating organisms were within the leukocytes, colony counts in blood subjected to lytic agents were 1.9- to 5.2-fold higher than in unlysed blood, and there were 10(5) to 10(6) times more organisms per gram in several tissue specimens obtained at autopsy than per milliliter of blood. It is concluded that continuous high-grade bacteremia is common in patients with AIDS and severe M. avium-intracellulare infections and that serial quantitative blood cultures provide a potential means for studying treatment in these patients.

Primary sternal osteomyelitis presenting as a pleural-based mass.

Osteomyelitis in uncommon locations can present unusual diagnostic difficulties. A patient with primary sternal osteomyelitis who presented with pain over the right supraclavicular area and a radiologic picture of a pleural-based right upper lung mass is discussed. A triple-phase bone scan was consistent with the diagnosis, and a needle aspiration of the mass revealed a staphylococcal abscess. Percutaneous drainage of the contiguous abscess and a prolonged course of antibiotic therapy cured the infection.

Ganciclovir prophylaxis for cytomegalovirus infection in pediatric allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients.

Twenty-nine pediatric allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients, ages 2-17 years, were followed prospectively for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Patients at risk received ganciclovir (GCV) prophylactically at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day i.v., 3 to 5 days per week, until day 100. Surveillance blood and urines were obtained weekly. Twelve patients developed DMV infection: one patient died with CMV interstitial pneumonitis on day 19 post-transplant prior to initiating GCV prophylaxis; 10 patients developed CMV viremia (n = 9) or viruria (n = 1) between day 30 and day 95 (median day 50) while receiving GCV prophylaxis; and one patient developed asymptomatic CMV viruria on day 130, 1 month after completing GCV prophylaxis. Patients with breakthrough infections on prophylaxis were treated with intensified GCV and i.v. immunoglobulin. No patient developed visceral involvement, although five patients had recurrent viremia. Six of the seven long-term survivors continued to excrete CMV in the urine intermittently for 6 to 28 months post-transplant. GCV was well tolerated with transient, mild neutropenia in five patients and thrombocytopenia in four patients. No extramedullary toxicity was encountered. GCV prophylaxis at a dose of 15-25 mg/kg/week is not adequate to prevent CMV reactivation in children receiving marrow transplants from unrelated donors and/or T cell-depleted grafts.

Respiratory syncytial virus upper respiratory tract illnesses in adult blood and marrow transplant recipients: combination therapy with aerosolized ribavirin and intravenous immunoglobulin.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of serious respiratory illness in blood and marrow transplant (BMT) recipients. In some subsets of these immunocompromised patients, RSV upper respiratory illnesses frequently progress to fatal viral pneumonia. The frequency of progression to pneumonia is higher during the pre-engraftment than during the post-engraftment period. Once pneumonia develops, the overall mortality is 60-80%, regardless of the treatment strategy. We performed a pilot trial of therapy of RSV upper respiratory illnesses using aerosolized ribavirin and IVIG (500 mg/kg every other day), with the goal of preventing progression to pneumonia and death. Two dosages of ribavirin were used: a conventional regimen (6 g/day at 20 mg/ml for 18 h/day) and a high-dose short-duration regimen (6 g/day at 60 mg/ml for 2 h every 8 h). Fourteen patients were treated for a mean of 13 days (range: 7-23 days). In 10 (71%) patients, the upper respiratory illness resolved. The other four (29%) patients, three of whom were in the pre-engraftment period, developed pneumonia, which was fatal in two. The most common adverse effect was psychological distress at being isolated within a scavenging tent. In conclusion, prompt therapy of RSV upper respiratory illnesses in BMT recipients with a combination of aerosolized ribavirin and IVIG was a safe and promising approach to prevent progression to pneumonia and death.

Influenza A virus infections among hospitalized adult bone marrow transplant recipients.

Although influenza virus continues to cause annual epidemics of respiratory diseases, surprisingly little is known about the frequency and clinical course of influenza among adult patients with cancer. During the 1991-92 influenza epidemic in Houston, Texas, we followed all adult BMT recipients hospitalized at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. None of these 68 patients had received prophylaxis for influenza. Influenza virus type A was isolated from 8 (29%) of 28 BMT recipients with an acute respiratory illness. Five of these infections were acquired in the hospital. All 8 patients presented with an upper respiratory tract illness. In 6 patients, the infection was complicated by pneumonia. The frequency of influenza was similar among autologous (5 of 18) and allogeneic (3 of 10) BMT recipients. The risk of developing pneumonia was not related to the type of transplant or to the engraftment status. All patients received broad-spectrum antibiotics. The 2 patients who did not develop pneumonia also received amantadine. The mortality with pneumonia was 17%. During community outbreaks, influenza is a frequent cause of acute respiratory illness among hospitalized adult BMT recipients and is frequently complicated by pneumonia. Studies are needed to define the optimal means of preventing and treating influenza in BMT recipients.

Cytomegalovirus disease in adult marrow transplant recipients receiving ganciclovir prophylaxis: a retrospective study.

In a retrospective study, we compared the incidence and risk of mortality associated with CMV disease in adult allogeneic BMT and PBSC recipients who received ganciclovir prophylaxis three-times-per-week (78 patients) vs five-times-per-week (137 patients). Active CMV infection occurred in 28 (41%) and 26 (21%) in the three- vs five-times-per-week groups, respectively (P < 0.005). CMV disease developed in 11 (16%) and five (4%) patients who received ganciclovir prophylaxis in the three-times-per-week vs five-times-per-week groups (P < 0.004). The CMV-attributable mortality rate was 1.5% and 12% in the five- vsthree-times-per-week groups, respectively (P < 0.003). Risk factors for CMV disease, significant at the P < 0.05 level in the multivariate analysis, were ganciclovir prophylaxis at three-times-per-week, receiving a T cell-depleted (TCD) marrow, and tacrolimus as prophylaxis for GVHD. These data suggest that ganciclovir five-times-per-week significantly reduced the incidence and mortality of CMV disease in allogeneic BMT and PBSC recipients. However, ganciclovir five-times-per-week was less effective for the prevention of CMV disease in patients receiving TCD marrow or tacrolimus.

Respiratory syncytial virus infections in autologous blood and marrow transplant recipients with breast cancer: combination therapy with aerosolized ribavirin and parenteral immunoglobulins.

Scant data are available concerning the impact and response to therapy of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in patients undergoing autologous blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) for breast cancer. During eight winter seasons from 1992-1993 to 1999-2000, nine (4%) of 249 such patients were hospitalized with RSV infections. Six patients, including all five patients who were early post transplant in the pre-engraftment period, developed pneumonia and were treated with a combination of aerosolized ribavirin and IVIG. Among five patients with pneumonia in whom therapy was initiated prior to respiratory failure, one (20%) died. The sixth patient, in whom therapy was initiated after respiratory failure developed, also died. In total, two (1%) patients, both of whom were in the pre-engraftment period, died of progressive pneumonia. In conclusion, RSV is a significant cause of life-threatening pneumonia in autologous BMT recipients with breast cancer during the early post-transplant period, and accounted for a substantial portion of the overall transplant-related mortality, which in recent years has been minimal.

Comparison of cytomegalovirus antigenemia and shell vial culture in allogeneic marrow transplantation recipients receiving ganciclovir prophylaxis.

We prospectively monitored 61 allogeneic BMT patients for evidence of CMV infection and disease starting 7 days prior to transplant until day 110 after transplant. Patients receiving pre- and post-transplantation ganciclovir prophylaxis were followed for the incidence of infection by the CMV antigenemia assay and shell vial cultures. The median age of all patients was 32 years (range 5-54 years). Fourteen (25%) of 57 evaluable patients became CMV antigenemia or culture positive. The incidence of culture or antigenemia positivity in CMV seropositive or seronegative patients with a seropositive donor was 29% (14 of 49 patients). The antigenemia assay became positive a median of 29 days (range 12-89 days) after BMT as compared to 46 days (range 26-98 days) by shell vial assay (P < 0.001). There were no cases of CMV disease in the first 110 days after transplant. This study demonstrates that despite the use of prophylactic ganciclovir, BMT patients developed CMV infection but did not progress to disease in this study, the CMV antigenemia assay may be used to monitor for CMV infection during prophylaxis, and the current regimens for CMV prophylaxis with ganciclovir may require further evaluation to determine an optimal regimen to prevent CMV infection.

Combination therapy with aerosolized ribavirin and intravenous immunoglobulin for respiratory syncytial virus disease in adult bone marrow transplant recipients.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in adult BMT recipients are frequently complicated by fatal pneumonias. Therapy of RSV pneumonia with aerosolized ribavirin alone has been reported to be associated with a 70% mortality rate. Because immune globulin therapy has been reported to be beneficial, we conducted a prospective trial of combination therapy with aerosolized ribavirin and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Aerosolized ribavirin was administered at 20 mg/ml for 18 h a day and IVIG was administered at 500 mg/kg every other day for the length of ribavirin therapy. Four lots of IVIG were chosen with RSV microneutralization Ab titers of 1:2048 to 1:8102. Between 8 January and 3 March 1993, during a community outbreak, 19 (45%) of 42 hospitalized adult BMT recipients with an acute respiratory illness were documented to have RSV disease. Two-thirds of these infections were hospital-acquired. All 19 patients presented with signs and symptoms of an upper respiratory tract illness. Sixteen patients developed pneumonia. The mortality was 22% in nine patients with pneumonia in whom therapy was initiated prior to the onset of profound respiratory failure. In contrast, the mortality was 100% in three patients with pneumonia in whom therapy was initiated within 24 h of respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation and in four untreated patients. We conclude that RSV may cause devastating outbreaks of severe pneumonia among hospitalized adult BMT recipients. Early diagnosis and combination therapy with ribavirin and IVIG was associated with a favorable outcome.

Cytomegalovirus pneumonia in adult autologous blood and marrow transplant recipients.

CMV pneumonia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among allogeneic BMT recipients. To assess the frequency, timing, risk factors and response to therapy of CMV pneumonia among autologous BMT recipients, we reviewed our experience with 795 patients. Sixteen (2%) patients were diagnosed with CMV pneumonia. The frequency was higher among patients who were seropositive than those who were seronegative (3.3% vs 0%, P = 0.008). Among seropositive patients, the frequency was higher among patients with hematological malignancies than patients with solid tumors (5.0 % vs 1.0%, P = 0.019). Eleven cases occurred <30 days, and five cases occurred >100 days post transplant. The overall CMV pneumonia-related mortality rate was 31%. Seven (78%) of nine patients treated with ganciclovir and IVIG prior to respiratory failure survived; neither of two patients treated after respiratory failure survived. Four of five (80%) untreated patients survived. In conclusion, CMV is a not infrequent cause of pneumonia among autologous BMT recipients. Risk factors include CMV seropositivity and an underlying hematological malignancy. A favorable response hinges on the prompt initiation of therapy. The survival of 25% of the patients without antiviral therapy suggests that the isolation of CMV from a BAL specimen occasionally reflects oropharyngeal contamination or that CMV pneumonia may sometimes be self-limited in more immunocompetent autologous BMT recipients.

Nosocomial respiratory syncytial virus infections: prevention and control in bone marrow transplant patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a multifaceted infection control strategy in limiting the nosocomial transmission of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection to patients in a bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit. DESIGN: Before/after trial. SETTING: University-affiliated tertiary cancer center. PATIENTS: Adult BMT recipients hospitalized during two consecutive wintertime community outbreaks of RSV infection. INTERVENTIONS: An infection control strategy against nosocomial RSV infection was implemented in the BMT unit in February 1993. The strategy involved prompt identification, isolation, and cohorting of RSV-infected patients; prompt therapy with aerosolized ribavirin; use of masks and gloves by anyone entering an infected BMT patient's room; screening visitors for respiratory symptoms; restricting visitation by all children under 12 years of age and all family members and other visitors with RSV symptoms; and restricting symptomatic hospital staff from working in the BMT unit. RESULTS: After implementation of the multifaceted infection-control strategy, there were four cases of nosocomial RSV infection in 3,870 patient days (incidence density, 1.0 case/1,000 patient days) compared with 14 cases of nosocomial RSV infection in 3,152 patient days (incidence density, 4.4 cases/1,000 patient days) during the 1992-1993 RSV season (rate ratio, 4.4; 95% confidence interval [CI95]. 1.4-17.9: P < .01). This decrease in incidence occurred despite a comparable prevalence of community-acquired RSV cases between the two seasons (2.2% vs 3.2% in 1992-1993 and 1993-1994, respectively; prevalence ratio, 0.7; CI95, 0.2-2.1; P = 0.5). CONCLUSION: Institution of a multifaceted infection control strategy significantly reduced the frequency of nosocomial RSV infection in a high-risk group of adult BMT recipients.

Optimal frequency of changing intravenous administration sets: is it safe to prolong use beyond 72 hours?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety and cost-effectiveness of replacing the intravenous (IV) tubing sets in hospitalized patients at 4- to 7-day intervals instead of every 72 hours. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized study of infusion-related contamination associated with changing IV tubing sets within 3 days versus within 4 to 7 days of placement. SETTING: A tertiary university cancer center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cancer patients requiring IV infusion therapy were randomized to have the IV tubing sets replaced within 3 days (280 patients) or within 4 to 7 days of placement (232 patients). Demographic, microbiological, and infusion-related data were collected for all participants. The main outcome measures were infusion- or catheter-related contamination or colonization of IV tubing, determined by quantitative cultures of the infusate, and infusion- or catheter-related bloodstream infection (BSI), determined by quantitative culture of the infusate in association with blood cultures in febrile patients. RESULTS: The two groups were comparable in terms of patient and catheter characteristics and the agents given through the IV tubing. Intent-to-treat analysis demonstrated a higher level of tubing colonization in the 4- to 7-day group versus the 3-day group (median, 145 vs 50 colony-forming units; P=.02). In addition, there were three episodes of possible infusion-related BSIs, all of which occurred in the 4- to 7-day group (P=.09). However, when the 84 patients who received total parenteral nutrition, blood transfusions, or interleukin-2 through the IV tubing were excluded, the two groups had a comparable rate of colonization (0.4% vs 0.5%), with no catheter- or infusion-related BSIs in either group. CONCLUSION: In patients at low risk for infection from infusion- or catheter-related infection who are not receiving total parenteral nutrition, blood transfusions, or interleukin-2, delaying the replacement of IV tubing up to 7 days may be safe, as well as cost-effective