LACK OF EFFECT OF CHANGING NEEDLES ON CONTAMINATION OF BLOOD CULTURES

To determine whehter changing needles during the collection of blood cultures to 1 of 3 groups: no needle changes (blood instilled directly into culture media through the needle used for venipuncture); 1 needle change (before inoculation into the first of 2 culture bottles); and 2 needle changes (before inoculation into each of 2 culture bottles). Each patient’s skin was cleansed with povidoneiodine for 60 seconds before venipuncture. We found similar rates of contamination among the 3 groups: no change, 2 of 92 (2.2%); 1 change, 0 of 106 (0.0%); 2 changes, 2 of 105 (1.9%). The combined contamination rate of all 3 groups (1.3%) was significantly lower than the prestudy rate of contamination (4.4%), based on 315 blood cultures (P = 0.04). These data suggest that careful skin preparation is a more important factor than changing needles in reducing contamination during blood culture collection. © 1990 Williams and Wilkins.