What is a standard management step for CLABSI?

• A. Keep the catheter in place and treat with intravenous antibiotics
• B. Wait for improvement with supportive care alone
• C. Switch to a peripheral IV line
• D. Infected catheters are usually removed; if removal is not feasible, antibiotic lock therapy

Answer: (D)

The essential idea is source control: removing the infected catheter is the standard step in managing CLABSI because bacteria form a protective biofilm on the catheter that makes eradication with antibiotics alone unlikely. By taking out the source, you stop ongoing seeding of the bloodstream and improve chances of clearing the infection. If removing the catheter isn’t feasible due to lack of alternative access or because it’s essential for ongoing therapy, antibiotic lock therapy can be used to sterilize the catheter lumen in combination with systemic antibiotics to prevent persistent bacteremia. Leaving the catheter in place and just using IV antibiotics, or switching to a peripheral IV, does not adequately address the infected source and is not the preferred approach.