| Ordering Code | 4106 |
|---|---|
| Test Name | Catheter Tip Culture |
| Alias | Intravenous Catheter Culture Intralumen Catheter Culture Arterial Catheter Culture |
| Preferred Specimen | Intravenous or Arterial Catheter Segment |
| Preferred Container | Sterile Container |
| Optimum Volume | 1 Segment |
| Handling Instructions | After removal of catheter, aseptically cut off the section desired for culture (approximately 0.5 - 1 inch) Place specimen in a sterile container. Send to laboratory immediately to prevent drying. Gram stains are NOT performed on catheter segments. Submit a swab of the catheter site separately if a gram stain is desired (order code 615). |
| Transport Requirements | Oahu: Refrigerated Airline: Refrigerated |
| Specimen Stability | Ambient: 2 Hours Refrigerated: 1 Day |
| Rejection Criteria | Frozen, Specimen older than stability limits, Foley catheter received |
| Avail. Stat | NO |
| Analytic Time | 2 Days Preliminary report at 24 hours. Additional time is needed for organism identification and susceptibility testing. |
| Methodology | Roll-plate semi-quantitative culture with visual examination for bacterial growth on/in non-selective media. |
Reference range(s)
The reference ranges listed below are valid on this date of October 28, 2025.
| Component | Age | Male Norm | Male Critical Low | Male Critical High | Female Norm | Female Critical High | Female Critical Low | Units | Add'l info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: | ALL | See report. | |||||||
| Report Status: | ALL | See report. | |||||||
| Culture | ALL | See report. |
