Peripheral Blood Culture Collection

Brandy Ballard BSN, RN; Jesika Sacomani RN; Norman Swope BSN, RN, OCN

Gather supplies.Check procedure.Obtain butterfly

needle.Obtain Multi-vial

adapter.Obtain culture kit (comes

with tourniquet, chlorhexadine swab, alcohol swabs, gauze and a band aid.

Check culture bottles.

Set up multi-vial adapter.

Prep culture bottles.• Clean each bottle

with alcohol swab, and leave swab in place until ready to instill blood.

• Clean 15-20 seconds.

• The caps are not sterile.

Skin Preparation

Scrub venipuncture site with chlorhexadine 30 seconds. Allow to dry, also 30 seconds.

Do not re-palpate site after prep to avoid contamination.

BAD

Venipuncture

One needle, One stick = Zero Contaminated Cultures

Inoculation of cultures• Obtain 8-10

mL blood each bottle, Blue first.

• Label site, date, time initials accordingly.

KEYPOINT: If drawing with a winged butterfly set you must inject the blue topped Aerobic bottle first then the purple topped Anaerobic bottle. If drawing with a syringe, either directly or from a central line, then you must inject the purple topped Anaerobic tube first then the blue topped Aerobic tube last.This is opposite from CVL draws.

First Second

Blood Culture Post ExamBrandy Ballard BSN, RN; Jesika Sacomani RN;

Norman Swope BSN, RN, OCN

If multiple blood tubes and blood cultures are required from a peripheral stick which do you get first?A. blood tubes.B. the red blood culture bottle.C. the blue blood culture bottle.D. Makes no difference which you draw if

done using sterile technique.

When drawing blood cultures from a central or arterial line which bottle do you inoculate first?

A. the pink bottle. B. the blue bottle.C. It does not matter.

Before drawing blood cultures from a peripheral IV you must first change the infusion caps?A. TrueB. False

How many ml’s of blood must be obtained for each culture bottle?A. 5 mlB. 20 mlC. 10 ml D. Just enough to tint the water.

How long should you scrub the site before drawing your specimen for blood cultures?A. 30 secondsB. 60 seconds C. 5 minutes D. You do not need to clean the site before

drawing cultures!

As you open the box that contains the culture bottles you accidently drop one. Do you use it?A. Sure! Why not!B. No, it is now considered damaged, and a

new culture set must be obtained. C. If the bottle looks ok then it is fine to use.

To mix the blood in the bottle invert the bottle 4-5 times.A. TrueB. False

Do you need to clean the septa of the culture bottle before inoculating?A. Yes, because the septa is not sterile. B. No, because the septa is sterile.

How long should you wait before drawing the second set of blood cultures?A. 1 hourB. 12 hoursC. 5-30 mins.

When obtaining blood cultures from an immune-suppressed patient do you waste any blood when drawing from a CVL?A. YesB. No

Answer Key1. C 10. B2. A3. B 4.C5. A6. B7. A 8. A 9. C