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Blood cultures are used to assist in diagnosis of:
Fever of unknown origin
Sepsis
Shock
Chills/fever
Particular care is taken to avoid skin bacterial contamination when blood cultures are drawn:
Cleanse the skin with povidone-iodine or alcohol prior to venipuncture
After the blood is drawn, discard the needle and replace it with a fresh, sterile needle before injecting the blood into the culture tube
Cleanse the rubber stoppers on the culture tubes with povidone-iodine or alcohol prior to placing the blood into the tubes
Blood cultures are most likely to be positive for organisms during a temperature spike.
Normal Values*
Blood Culture
Negative
*These are general values taken from a variety of sources. The actual normal values may vary from lab to lab and from one type of testing protocol to another.
Source: Operational Medicine 2001, Health Care in Military Settings, NAVMED P-5139, May 1, 2001, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, 2300 E Street NW, Washington DC, 20372-5300
