The objectives of the retrospective cohort study is to describe the actual current practice of antibiotic treatment duration for bloodstream infections in critically ill patients at two tertiary hospitals (ICU Inselspital Bern and ICU CHUV Lausanne), to examine patient, pathogen and infectious syndrome factors associated with selection of shortened treatment duration, and to describe the expected time course of clinical resolution among bacteremic patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

Patient has a positive blood culture with a pathogenic organism Patient is critically ill at the time the blood culture was collected as defined by the following:

1. was treated at the ICU/IMC at the time of blood culture collection;
2. or has been admitted to ICU/IMC in the 48 hours after blood culture collection

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patient has a single positive blood culture with a common contaminant organism:

   • coagulase negative staphylococci;
   • Bacillus spp.;
   • Corynebacterium spp.;
   • Propionibacterium spp.;
   • Aerococcus spp.;
   • Micrococcus spp.

2. Explicit documentation that the patient does not want to participate in any study

Patient is critically ill at the time the blood culture was collected and was treated at the ICU/IMC at the time of blood culture collection or has been admitted to ICU/IMC in the 48 hours after blood culture collection.