Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-sh8wx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-18T06:04:52.222Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Time to positivity of blood cultures among a veteran population: How long to wait before discontinuing antimicrobial therapy when suspicion of infection is low

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2020

Brett H. Heintz
Affiliation:
University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Iowa City, Iowa Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA
Zach T. DeLanoit*
Affiliation:
M Health Fairview, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Leah J. Granroth
Affiliation:
Phoenix VA Health Care System, Phoenix, Arizona
Whitni T. Patterson
Affiliation:
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
*
Author for correspondence: Zach Delanoit, E-mail: zdelano1@fairview.org

Abstract

Time to positivity (TTP) of blood cultures can guide antimicrobial therapy. This single-center retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the yield of clinically significant organisms from blood cultures that were initially negative at 24 hours. Clinically significant organisms were uncommon after 24 hours (1.5%) and more common in intensive care unit settings.

Type
Concise Communication
Copyright
© 2020 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Biondi, EA et al. Blood culture time to positivity in febrile infants with bacteremia. JAMA Pediatrics 2014;168:844849.Google ScholarPubMed
Lambregts, MC, et al. Distribution and clinical determinants of time-to- positivity of blood cultures in patients with neutropenia. Eur J Haematol 2018;100:206214.Google ScholarPubMed
Barlam, TF, et al. Implementing an antibiotic stewardship program: guidelines by the Infectious Disease Society of America and Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Clin Infect Dis 2016;62(10):e51e77.Google ScholarPubMed
Martinez, JA, et al. Microbial and clinical determinants of time-to-positivity in patients with bacteraemia. Clin Microbiol Infect 2007;13:709716.Google ScholarPubMed
Morioka, S, Ichikawa, M, Mori, K, et al. Coagulase-negative staphylococcal bacteraemia in cancer patients. Time to positive culture can distinguish bacteraemia from contamination. Infect Dis (Lond) 2018;16:16.Google Scholar
Kassis, C, Rangaraj, G, Jiang, Y, et al. Differentiating culture samples representing coagulase-negative staphylococcal bacteremia from those representing contamination by use of time-to-positivity and quantitative blood culture methods. J Clin Microbiol 2009;47:32553260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swenson, FJ, Rubin, SJ. Clinical significance of viridans streptococci isolated from blood cultures. J Clin Microbiol 1982;15:725727.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Palmer, HR, et al. Clinical and microbiological implications of time-to-positivity of blood cultures in patients with Gram-negative bacilli bacteremia. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2013;32:955959.Google ScholarPubMed
Hall, KK, Lyman, JA. Updated review of blood culture contamination. Clin Microbiol Revs 2006;19:788802.Google ScholarPubMed
Dargère, S, Cormier, H, Verdon, R. Contaminants in blood cultures: importance, implications, interpretation and prevention. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018;24:964969.Google ScholarPubMed