Phone: 1-888-SMC-1397

Fax: 1-309-852-0159

Email: solutions@cleancollect.com

 

Need assistance? Try Live Chat support,

email, or call the toll free number above.

Blood Culture Contamination Research

 

Section I: Diversion of Initial Blood Flow to Prevent Contamination of Blood Cultures

 

   

 

        The effect of the diversion method on blood culture contamination rates has been studied through two phases of clinical trials. In the first phase, 248 blood cultures from healthy volunteers demonstrated an 84% reduction in contamination using an 8.0 mL initial sample. 

 

        In the second phase, data from 7,876 hospital patients demonstrated a 42% reduction with use of smaller initial sample volumes of 0.5 - 1.0 mLs and a 50% reduction with 2.0 mLs. These results were published in the Dec 2010 Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 

 

        The effective range of diversion is 1.0 - 8.0 mLs of initial blood flow. The optimal range to minimize waste and maximize reduction is 4.0 - 6.0 mLs. 

 

References

 

Patton, R.G., Schmitt, T. Innovation for Reducing Blood Culture Contamination: Initial Sample Diversion Technique. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2010, p. 4501-4503, Vol. 48, No. 12 [click to receive commercial reprint]

         

Diversion Method Phase I Studies 2009 (publication pending) [click to receive free copy]

 

 

Section II: Costs of Blood Culture Contamination 

     See Overview Table [click to view]

              

Gander RM, Byrd L, DeCrescenzo M, Hirany S, Bowen M, and Baughman J. Impact of Phlebotomy-Drawn Blood Cultures on Contamination Rates and Health Care Costs in a Hospital Emergency Department. JCM 2009 Apr: 47(4): p. 1021 -1024
2.2.Zwang O, Albert RK. Analysis of strategies to improve cost effectiveness of blood cultures. Journal of Hosp Med. 2006 Sep;1(5):272-6
3.3.Surdulescu, S., D. Utamsingh, and R. Shekar. Phlebotomy teams reduce blood-culture contamination rate and save money. Clin. Perform. Qual. Health Care 6:60-62. 1998.
4.Bates DW, Goldman L, Lee TH. Contaminant blood cultures and resource utilization. The true consequences of false-positive results. JAMA. 1991 Jan 16;265(3):365-9

 

 

 

Section III: Catheter Drawn Blood Cultures

 

McBryde, E. S. Comparison of contamination rates of catheter-drawn and peripheral blood cultures. J. Hosp. Infect. 60:118-121; 2005

Norberg, A. Contamination Rates of Blood Cultures Obtained by Dedicated Phlebotomy vs Intravenous Catheter. JAMA 2003;289:726-729

Martinez, J. A. Clinical utility of blood cultures drawn from central venous or arterial catheters in critically ill surgical patients. Crit. Care Med. 30:7-13; 2002

Ruge, DG. Sandin, RL. Reduction in Blood Culture Contamination Rates by Establishment of Policy for Central Intravenous Catheters . LabMedicine, 33, 797-800 ; 2002. 

Everts, R. J. Contamination of catheter-drawn blood cultures. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:3393-3394; 2001

Ramsook, C. Comparison of blood-culture contamination rates in a pediatric emergency room: newly inserted intravenous catheters versus venipuncture. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 21:649-65; 2000

Wormser, G. P. Sensitivity and specificity of blood cultures obtained through intravascular catheters. Crit. Care Med. 18:152-156; 1990

 

 

Section V: Equipment-Related Contamination

 

E. Siebor. Presumed pseudobacteremia outbreak resulting from contamination of proportional disinfectant dispenser. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Volume 26, Number 3 195-198 / March, 2007

Bouallègue, O. Outbreak of Pseudomonas putida bacteraemia in a neonatal intensive care unit. J. Hosp. Infect. 57:88-91; 2004

Névine Boutros. Ralstonia pickettii Traced in Blood Culture Bottles. J Clin Microbiol. 2002 July; 40(7): 2666–2667

Hsueh, P.-R. Nosocomial pseudoepidemic caused by Bacillus cereus traced to contaminated ethyl alcohol from a liquor factory. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37:2280-2284; 1999

Anderson, R. L. Prolonged survival of Pseudomonas cepacia in commercially manufactured povidone-iodine. Appl. Environ Microbiol. 56:3598-3600; 1990

 

 

Section VI: Reviews

Keri K. Hall and Jason A. Lyman. Updated Review of Blood Culture Contamination. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2006 October; 19(4): 788–802.

Melvin P. Weinstein. Blood Culture Contamination: Persisting Problems and Partial Progress. J Clin Microbiol. 2003 June; 41(6): 2275–2278.

Mylotte, J. M. Blood cultures: clinical aspects and controversies. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 19:157-163; 2003

Weinbaum, F. Doing it right the first time: quality improvement and the contaminant blood culture. J. Clin. Microbiol. 35:563-565; 1997

 

 

Section VII: Q-Probes

Bekeris, L. Trends in blood culture contamination: a College of American Pathologists Q-Tracks study of 356 institutions. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 129:1222-1225; 2005

Novis, D. A., J. C. Dale, R. B. Schifman. Solitary blood cultures: a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 132,778 blood culture sets in 333 small hospitals. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 125:1290-1294; 2001

Schifman, R. B. Blood culture contamination: a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study involving 640 institutions and 497134 specimens from adult patients. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 122:216-221; 1998

Schifman, R. B. Blood culture quality improvement: a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study involving 909 institutions and 289 572 blood culture sets. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 120:999-1002; 1996

 

Products | Diversion Method | Benefits | Research | Orders

FAQ | Contact | Stone Medical Corporation Home

888-762-1397

 

Stone Medical Corporation © 2007-2010 All Rights Reserved