Blood Culture, Routine
Also known as: Culture, Blood, Routine
Use
Isolate and identify potentially pathogenic organisms causing bacteremia; establish the diagnosis of endocarditis
Special Instructions
The test request form must state clinical diagnosis and time of collection. It is important to list current antibiotic therapy, clinical diagnosis, and any special organisms suspected or to be ruled out. Indicate if culture is specifically for Brucella or Francisella. Do not use expired blood culture media. Blood cultures should be drawn before the initiation of antimicrobial therapy, and strict aseptic technique is essential.
Limitations
Blood cultures may yield negative results in the absence of antimicrobial therapy. Prior antibiotic treatment can cause negative cultures or delayed growth. Special cultures are required for specific organisms like Brucella and fungi if suspected. Negative cultures do not rule out bacteremia due to false negatives when pathogens fail to grow. Positive cultures can sometimes be false positives due to contaminants. Organisms from skin flora such as coagulase-negative Staphylococcus present diagnostic dilemmas, often requiring careful clinical correlation and multiple culture sets for confirmation.
Methodology
Culture-based
Biomarkers
LOINC Codes
- 600-7
- 600-7
Result Turnaround Time
5-6 days
Related Documents
For more information, please review the documents below
Specimen
Whole Blood
Volume
Adult: 16 to 20 mL total; 8 to 10 mL per aerobic and anaerobic bottle. Pediatric: up to 4 mL in one pediatric bottle.
Minimum Volume
Not provided
Container
One aerobic and one anaerobic blood culture bottle for adults or one pediatric bottle. Do not vent.
Collection Instructions
Use the provided blood culture collection kits. Follow the procedural chart in the kit for bottle preparation, venipuncture, and inoculation. Draw cultures before antimicrobial therapy, with strict aseptic technique. If multiple cultures are required, draw separately at no less than 30-minute intervals.
Patient Preparation
Ensure potential skin contamination is minimized by proper skin preparation using isopropanol and antiseptic swabsticks. Do not touch the prepared site after disinfection.
Storage Instructions
Maintain specimen at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.
Causes for Rejection
Unlabeled specimen or name discrepancy; broken bottles; long transport delay; non-culture-bottle submission; expired bottle.