Blood Cultures
Why might a doctor order a set of blood cultures?
BC aid in identifying specific organism causing the infection
Patients who have fevers of unknown origins
What are the first 4 steps in site preparation for Blood Culture Collection
Prepare and assemble supplies
identify patient, Explain test
Wash or sanitize hands, put on gloves
After applying tourniquet locate the vein
How might Blood Cultures differ from a regular blood draw?
As a phlebotomist you must explain the procedure in greater detail to the patient
Puncture site must be decontaminated so that it is sterile
What type of disinfectant are you using to clean the site?
ChloraPrep
2% Chlorhexidine Gluconate and 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
How do Culture bottles differ from regular blood tubes?
BC bottles contain culture media that enables bacteria to enable bacteria to grow under lab conditions
How long do you cleanse the site?
60 Seconds
What are some interfering factors with Blood Cultures?
Blood Culture specimens must be collected first
Do not scrape the needle accross the skin
fill aerobic blood culture vial first
culture bottles containing resin beads
Can you overfill a Blood Culture Bottle?
YES! Overfilling could cause a false positive