Blood culture volume and detection of coagulase negative staphylococcal septicaemia in neonates. Issue 1 (1st January 1997)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jawaheer, G; Neal, T J; Shaw, N J
• Is Part Of: Archives of disease in childhood. Volume 76:Issue 1(1997)
• Page Start: F57
• Page End: F58
• Publication Date: 1997-01-01
• Subjects: blood cultures -- septicaemia -- coagulase negative staphylococci; Infants -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Newborn infants -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Fetus -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 618.920105
• DOI: 10.1136/fn.76.1.F57
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-2998

Abstract

Abstract : A prospective, blind study was carried out to determine: the amount of blood submitted for culture from neonates; whether small blood volumes resulted in false negative results; and whether there was a temporal relation between volume of blood cultured and time to positivity. Seventy three bottles were evaluated. They contained a median of 0.63 ml of blood. Twenty nine bottles (39.7%) contained less than 0.5 ml of blood; 21 bottles (28.8%) were positive. There were three false negative cultures, only one of which contained a blood volume below 0.5 ml. The median time to positivity was 22.4 hours. There was no correlation between blood volume cultured and time to positivity. Neonatal cultures frequently contain less than 0.5 ml of blood. False negative cultures are rare. Neonatal blood culture bottles need to be validated for blood volumes below 0.5 ml.