Evaluation of an Internal Hospital Practice: The Effect of Altered Sampling Protocol on Blood Culture Contamination Rates: An Open, Randomized, Prospective Study
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Enrollment
- 756
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Blood culture contamination rate
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Implementation of the initial specimen diversion technique, in which the first milliliter of the venipuncture sample is not injected into the culture bottle, led to a significant reduction in blood culture contamination rates. This technique is based on the assumption that the skin plug aspirated during venipuncture is a major source of contaminating bacteria. One such diversion method is aspirating the first blood volume into a blood collection tube. It has, however, been suggested that regular blood collection tubes carry contaminants from the tube's stopper into the blood cultures drawn afterwards, thereby increasing contamination rates. The aim of this trial is to examine the effect of aspirating the first blood volume into a regular blood collection tube on blood culture contamination rate.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Diagnostic
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •Adults evaluated in the emergency room or as inpatients for suspected sepsis or having sepsis and from whom the treating physician plans to take, in the same venous puncture, blood cultures and additional blood tests (blood count and/or blood chemistry).
Exclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Arms & Interventions
Initial Specimen Diversion
Aspirating first blood volume into a regular blood collection tube
Intervention: aspirating first blood volume into a regular blood collection tube (Diagnostic Test)
Standard practice
Aspirating first blood into blood culture bottles (Standard practice)
Intervention: aspirating first blood volume into a regular blood collection tube (Diagnostic Test)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Blood culture contamination rate
Time Frame: 7 days
A blood culture contamination is defined as growth in a single set of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Viridans group Streptococcus, Propionibacterium acne, Corynebacterium sp (diphtheroids) or Bacillus sp.
Secondary Outcomes
No secondary outcomes reported