Hi
What is the best practice recommendation for collecting blood culture via CVAD? Should we adopt the syringe method with transfer device, or is it okay to continue the current practice of using direct vacutainer method? Is there any literature to support one or the other?
Thank you
See INS SOP Phlebotomy. Drawing blood cultures from a CVAD should be avoided as this can produce false positive results. Several other statements there about this but nothing comparing vacuum tubes to syringe method for cultures, however the syringe method will always produce more manipulation and that easily leads to contamination.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Thank you. For oncology, the IPAC requires us to draw 1 set of culture from peripheral line and 1 set of culture from each of the CVAD lumens. Recently, the lab wants us to move to blood collection using the syringe method, which quite cumbersome method and as you said, increase risk for sample contamination.