Blood is usually sterile. Any bacteria in the bloodstream is abnormal.
A blood culture is collected to detect the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream. Blood is collected into appropriate media to allow for the growth and identification of bacteria or other organisms in the patient's bloodstream.
A blood culture set usually consists of two bottles: an aerobic bottle and an anaerobic bottle. Blood cultures are generally ordered in multiple sets, each drawn from separate sites at different times.
An improperly collected blood culture can seriously impact a patient's care and treatment. If bacteria enter the culture vial from sources other than the blood due to improper specimen collection, a patient may needlessly be treated for an infection that is not present. On the other hand, some collection errors may cause negative culture results when the patient has bacteria in their blood. A false-negative culture result could be a life-threatening error.
