Factors impacting the pre-analytical quality of blood cultures-Analysis at a tertiary medical center.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Blood cultures (BC) are critical for the diagnosis of bloodstream infections, pathogen identification, and resistance testing. Guidelines recommend a blood volume of 8-10 mL per bottle as lower volumes result in decreased sensitivity. We aimed to evaluate factors for non-adherence to recommended volumes and assess the effects on diagnostic performance.

Methods

From February to April 2020, we measured collected blood volumes by weighing all BC containers from inpatient samples at the University Hospital Basel. Information on BC volumes was merged with clinical and microbiological data, as well as nursing staff schedules. We analyzed factors associated with (i) BC sampling volume, (ii) reaching recommended volumes (≥8 mL), (iii) BC positivity, and (iv) time to posit

SUBMITTER: Romann L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10019732 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature