OCCURRENCE AND DOCUMENTATION OF LOW-LEVEL BACTEREMIA IN A COMMUNITY HOSPITALS PATIENT POPULATION

To document the incidence of low-level bacteremia in the patient popul ation of this study, two blood culture sets were collected from sympto matic patients weighing more than 80 pounds, Each blood culture set co nsisted of a lysis-centrifugation tube and three bottles containing di fferent culture broths, each inoculated with 10 mt blood. Pathogens fr om 63 (26.4%) and 48 (20.1%) of the 239 culture-positive patients were recovered from only one and two of the eight culture devices, respect ively, representing low-level bacteremia, Isolates from another 60 (25 .1%) of the 239 patients were recovered from all eight of the culture devices, representing high-level bacteremia. Whether patients had low- level or high-level bacteremia, there were mostly insignificant differ ences in the types of species recovered, in the percentages of patient s for whom therapy was initiated or changed following the laboratory's reports, and in the clinical signs, symptoms, and characteristics of the patients, Clinically documented, low-level bacteremia is relativel y common in this community hospital's patient population, Culturing of up to 80 mt of blood was required for detection of all pathogens from patients weighing more than 80 pounds.