Collection Volume:
Click on "Blood culture" under the Specimen Collection Procedures link (below) for Table: Blood Culture Recommended Volume Based on Patient Weight
Cause for Rejection:
Bottles received unlabeled may be rejected if the provider decides to collect another specimen. Otherwise the "Mislabeled Specimen Collection Form" must be filled out.
Methodology:
Automated Detection Instrumentation
Special Instructions:
Blood cultures should be drawn prior to initiation of antimicrobial therapy. If more than one culture is drawn, the specimens should be drawn from different sites. The minimum amount of blood is only to be used in cases where there is a difficult draw. Do not overfill the bottles (>10mL in adult aerobic and anaerobic bottles), as this can lead to false positives. Routine blood culture is the recommended order for yeast blood infections.
NOTE: Be sure to cleanse top of blood culture bottle with chlorhexidine before inoculating with patient specimen.
