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HelpEpic Test Code LAB462 Blood Culture
Performing Location(s)
BMC
Specimen Type
Whole Blood
Preferred Container
Bact/ALERT Blood Culture Vials
SA(Blue Cap)/SN(Red Cap)
Volume Required
10 mL/Bottle
Minimum Volume
5 mL/Bottle (Adult)
1 mL/ Bottle (Newborn)- Collect Aerobic (blue cap) Bottle only. Refer to the Pediatric Blood Volumes
If < 5mL of blood is collected, place all 5mL into Aerobic bottle; do not use anaerobic bottle.
Transportation Needs
Transport at room temperature (20-25⁰C)
DO NOT REFRIGERATE
Storage Requirements
Incubate at 35° Celsius
DO NOT REFRIGERATE
Causes for Rejection
Mislabeled or unlabeled specimen
Non-Bact/ALERT Blood Culture Vials
BTA bottle with resin (FAN)
Reference Values
| Population | Units | Reference Range |
| All Populations | none | No Growth |
Reflex Testing
Organism identification and susceptibility studies are performed as appropriate, according to established protocols that have been approved by the Clinical Laboratory Director. Call Microbiology (547-3707) for details. There may be additional charges for these identification and susceptibility procedures.
Reflex Testing Data: 1)Gram Stain, 2)1st Positive blood culture from a patient will reflex to molecular identification of the following organisms and antibiotic resistance genes. Useful for Rapid detection of sepsis in fection caused by:
|
Gram-positive Bacteria |
Gram-negative Bacteria |
Yeast |
Resistance Gene |
|
Enterococcus genus Listeria monocytogenes Staphylococcus genus Staphylococcus aureus Streptococcus genus Streptococcus agalactiae Streptococcus pneumoniae Streptococcus pyogenes |
Acinetobacter baumannii Enterobacteriaceae family Enterobacter cloacae complex Escherichia coli Klebsiella oxytoca Klebsiella pneumonia Proteus spp. Serratia marcescens Haemophilus influenzae Neisseria meningitidis Pseudomonas aeruginosa |
Candida albicans C. glabrata C. krusei C. parapsilosis C. tropicalis |
mecA = methicillin resistance (for Staphylococcus spp.)
vanA/B = vancomycin resistance (for Enterococcus spp.)
kpc = carbapenem resistance (for Enterobacteriacea) |
Only the 1st bottle of a septic episode where the Gram stain qualifies with have a BCID panel (Blood culture Molecular Identification) set up. If a change in the Gram stain result occurs on future positive bottles, the provider will be notified and a BCID panel will be set up. Successive positive bottles from the same patient will have a Gram stain. If Gram stain is identical to the 1st, a culture will be setup to confirm organism identification.
Subculture of positive blood culture is performed to recover organisms for susceptibility testing, epidemiological typing, to identify organisms not detected by this method and for species determination of some Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococci and Enterobacteriaciae.
Blood Culture Molecular Identification Drug of Choice Assistance Table 2023
Days of Analysis
All
Available STAT
No
Turn Around Time
2-3 hours from the time of provider notification of Gram stain
Includes
Aerobic and Anaerobic culture (if both bottles are sent, see below)
Additional Information
Patient Preparation:
Must be collected aseptically as detailed in the Blood Culture Basics (see Microbiology Collection Procedures link in this web page)
Blood cultures should be drawn prior to initiation of antimicrobial thereapy
A minimum of 2 sets of blood cultures should be drawn, ideally 15 minutes apart, with a maximum of 3 sets within any 24 hour period. Single set blood cultures should be avoided as contamination may render any growth uninterpretable.
Submission of a single bottle of the set will be treated as an aerobic bottle, precluding the isolation of strict anaerobes
If specific pathogens are suspected, please note under “Special Requests” as incubation times may need to be extended for certain fastidious organisms
Methodology
Aerobic and anaerobic culture
CPT Code
87040
Last Updated
17-May-22