We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

BD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS

BD Diagnostics manufactures and markets medical supplies and devices and diagnostic systems that include cellular ana... read more Featured Products: More products

Download Mobile App




Positive Blood Culture Removal Time Significantly Decreases Processing Time

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 18 Feb 2015
Print article
The BD BACTEC FX40 blood culture instrument
The BD BACTEC FX40 blood culture instrument (Photo courtesy of BD DIAGNOSTIC SOLUTIONS)
Timely processing of blood cultures with positive results, including Gram staining and notification of clinicians, is a critical function of the clinical microbiology laboratory.

Although empiric administration of antibiotics is critical, targeted therapy based on actionable data from the clinical microbiology laboratory must be implemented as soon as the data are available as inadequate antimicrobial treatment of bloodstream infections is associated with significantly increased mortality and, in surviving patients, increased hospital length of stay.

Scientists at the Houston Methodist Hospital (TX, USA) performed a retrospective analysis of positive blood culture processing times. Data for specimens collected seven months before and seven months after an in-service meeting were retrieved and analyzed. In some instances, no organisms were seen on initial Gram stain after a positive alert. In those cases, the culture bottles were returned to the automated blood culture system BACTEC FX instrument (BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD, USA) for further incubation. As the Epicenter software does not log the initial removal, the positive-to-removal (PR) time was erroneously prolonged, and these samples were excluded from the analysis.

Before the in-service meeting, the average PR time for 5,057 samples was 38 minutes. They discovered unexpectedly that only 51.8% (2,617 of 5,057) of the positive blood cultures were removed in less than 10 minutes. After the in-service meeting, for 5,293 samples, the average PR time improved to eight minutes, the aggregate time also improved, and 84.5% (4,470 of 5,293) of the positive blood cultures were removed in less than 10 minutes. These improvements reduced the time to telephone notification of the Gram stain results to a caregiver by 46.7% (from 105 minutes to 56 minutes).

The authors concluded improvement of sepsis outcomes and costs requires rapid generation of actionable data from the clinical microbiology laboratory. Vigilant monitoring of parameters such as the PR time and meticulous identification of barriers to rapid pathogen identification has the potential to continue to decrease pathogen reporting time, decrease health care costs, and decrease morbidity and mortality associated with bloodstream infections. The study was published in the February 2015 issue of the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

Related Links:

Houston Methodist Hospital
BD Diagnostics 


Gold Member
Veterinary Hematology Analyzer
Exigo H400
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Bordetella Pertussis Molecular Assay
Alethia Pertussis
New
H.pylori Test
Humasis H.pylori Card
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get complete access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: Researcher Kanta Horie places a sample in a mass spectrometer that measures protein levels in blood plasma and other fluids (Photo courtesy of WashU Medicine)

Highly Accurate Blood Test Diagnoses Alzheimer’s and Measures Dementia Progression

Several blood tests are currently available to assist doctors in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in individuals experiencing cognitive symptoms. However, these tests do not provide insights into the clinical... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The findings were based on patients from the ADAURA clinical trial of the targeted therapy osimertinib for patients with NSCLC with EGFR-activated mutations (Photo courtesy of YSM Multimedia Team)

Post-Treatment Blood Test Could Inform Future Cancer Therapy Decisions

In the ongoing advancement of personalized medicine, a new study has provided evidence supporting the use of a tool that detects cancer-derived molecules in the blood of lung cancer patients years after... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.