| Summary: | Objective : Since the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital recommends that three blood samples or at least two blood samples should be sent to the laboratory for culture, the study is designed to determine the outcomes and efficiency between drawing two blood samples and three blood samples for culture.
Methods : The results of all blood samples sent to the microbiology laboratory for culture from March 2002 to February 2003 were analyzed.
Results : 782 blood cultures had three blood samples, and 10,264 had two blood samples. The overall positive culture rates of the two blood samples and three blood samples were 14.1% and 18.5%, respectively (p<0.001). The positive culture rates for pathogenic organisms of the two blood samples and three blood samples were 10.4% and 15%, respectively (p<0.001). The types of organisms recovered from both groups were similar. Drawing three blood samples was not relatively more efficient due to its higher cost with minimal significant benefit.
Conclusion : For general patients suspected of having bacteremia, drawing two blood samples should be sufficient for culture, and it is more efficient than drawing three blood samples.
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