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Clinical Impact of Blood Cultures Contaminated with Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci at an Academic Medical Center

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Yuri F. van der Heijden ,
Geraldine Miller ,
Patty W. Wright ,
Bryan E. Shepherd ,
Titus L. Daniels  and
Thomas R. Talbot
Yuri F. van der Heijden*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
Geraldine Miller
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
Patty W. Wright
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
Bryan E. Shepherd
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
Titus L. Daniels
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
Thomas R. Talbot
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
*
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, A-2200 Medical Center North, 1161 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232 ([email protected])
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Extract

Of all blood cultures positive for coagulase-negative staphylococci collected in 1 year at an academic hospital, 100 were selected randomly for review and designated true positives or contaminated. For the 85 patients whose cultures were determined to be contaminated, chart abstractions revealed substantial unnecessary antibiotic administration, additional laboratory tests and procedures, and hospital readmissions.

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 32 , Issue 6 , June 2011 , pp. 623 - 625
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2011

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