| Ordering Code | 619 |
|---|---|
| Test Name | Blood Culture |
| Preferred Specimen | Blood |
| Preferred Container | BacT/ALERT blood culture bottles (Aerobic & Anaerobic for adults, Pediatric for pediatric) |
| Other Specimen/Container | Whole Blood in SPS tubes or Bactec standard aerobic, anaerobic or peds glass culture bottles |
| Optimum Volume | Adult: BacT/Alert bottles: 10 mL, Bactec aerobic: 10 mL, Bactec anaerobic: 7 mL Pediatric: BacT/Alert bottles: 4 mL, Bactec bottle: 3 mL |
| Collection Instructions | Clean with 70% isopropyl or ethyl alcohol. Follow with 2% iodine, allow to remain on the site for two minutes If patient is allergic to iodine, double swab with alcohol and allow to air dry It is strongly recommended both aerobic and anaerobic bottles are submitted for optimal organism recovery. |
| Transport Requirements | Oahu: Ambient Airline: Ambient |
| Specimen Stability | Ambient: BacT/Alert bottles: 1 Day Bactect bottles: 2 Days |
| Rejection Criteria | Frozen, refrigerated, exposed to excessive heat, Defective or damaged bottle(s) While not optimal, receipt of blood culture bottles beyond stability will be tested and reported with a disclaimer. |
| Avail. Stat | NO |
| Analytic Time | 5 Days Final report upon positive isolation or at 5 days (when no growth). |
| Methodology | Detection of increases of CO2 production by the growth of microorganisms. |
Reference range(s)
The reference ranges listed below are valid on this date of June 29, 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. | |||||||
| Status: | ALL | See report. | |||||||
| Culture: | ALL | See report. |