Our cummunity venous access team recently had a discussion regarding discarding blood prior to drawing blood cultures. Most of the facilities in our area are wasting 3-5mls blood prior to drawing the blood culture. We know that the INS Policy and Procedures states to not discard the first draw (pg 176). What is the reason for not discarding blood prior to drawing the blood sample and are there any recommended articles out there to support this practice?  Â