Clinical Characteristics Associated with Blood Culture Contamination in Neonates

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to investigate the contamination rates of blood culture in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and to examine the clinical characteristics related to the contamination. METHODS: Eight hundred thirty cases of blood culture performed from March 2013 to February 2014 were analyzed. We evaluated the contamination rates of blood culture by blood sampling sites and compared the clinical characteristics such as real name system and body weights of the contaminated cases and those of non-contaminated ones. The clinical characteristics were retrospectively reviewed by medical records. RESULTS: The overall contamination rate was 3.6% (30/830). The contamination rates by blood sampling sites were as follows peripheral vein 15.6% (10/64), peripheral artery 2.6% (20/759), and umbilical arterial catheter 0% (0/7). There was no difference in the contamination rates between cases with and without real name system (P =0.484). However, there were significant differences in the contamination rates by the physicians who performed the culture (P =0.038) and body weight ( or =1,000 g) at the time of blood culture (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that neonates with a body weight less than 1,000 g have more risks of the contamination of blood culture. Furthermore, there is a necessity to provide blood culture performers with active feedbacks and individualized education plans that can help diminish blood culture contamination rates. Prospective studies in a systematic manner that can be applied in actual clinical settings are needed in order to figure out factors that can diminish the contamination rates of blood culture in NICU.