Davis KA, Painter J, Lakkad M, Dare RK.
Assessment of Cost, Morbidity, and Mortality Associated with Blood Culture Contamination
Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 6 (2): S676. October 2019.
October 2019
- This large study evaluated the clinical and financial impact of blood culture contamination (BCC) with inclusion of 1,102 cases and 11,266 controls during a 5-year period.
- The study is the first reporting increased mortality associated with BCC. It also shows a correlation with increased length of stay (2 days), unnecessary exposure to antibiotics (1.3 days of treatment) and procedures, development of antibiotic-associated adverse events, and higher hospital charges.
- Clinical outcome measures were significantly higher in patients with false positive test results.
- The authors concluded that the implementation of innovative strategies to reduce contamination should be pursued. Antimicrobial stewardship programs should prioritize identification of contaminants and rapid de-escalation of inappropriate antibiotics to improve patient care.
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