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Drawing blood cultures through intravascular catheters: Controversy and update

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

Leonard A. Mermel
Leonard A. Mermel*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island Division of Infectious Diseases, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island Department of Epidemiology and Infection Control, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island
*
Author for correspondence: Leonard A. Mermel, Email: lmermel@lifespan.org
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Abstract

Studies published between 1999 and 2011 demonstrated increased blood culture contamination with catheter-drawn cultures compared with percutaneously-drawn cultures. Studies published between 2012 and 2015 reported that use of antiseptic barrier caps on central venous catheter hubs significantly reduces the incidence of catheter-drawn blood culture contamination. Local guidelines regarding sites for blood culture collection should reflect institution-level blood culture contamination rates for percutaneously-drawn and catheter-drawn cultures using currently available technologies that reduce contamination at both sites.

Type
Commentary
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 40 , Issue 4 , April 2019 , pp. 457 - 459
Copyright
© 2019 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved. 

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