Reducing blood-culture contamination rates by the use of a 2% chlorhexidine solution applicator in acute admission units

摘要

Blood culture is the most important microbiological test in the diagnosis of serious infections. Contamination with non-significant skin flora organisms, however, occurs in 2-6% of blood cultures taken and is associated with substantial Healthcare costs. Skin preparation is often neglected by medical staffsuch as echocardiography and computed tomography. Unnecessary antibiotic therapy may in turn result in avoidable adverse effects, including Clostridiumdifficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD). The costs associated with this are likely to be considerable and more than the costs of implementing the SEPP~(TM) applicator, which is approximately pound 0.30 per unit. Additionally, performance management targets for both meticillin-resistant S. aureus bacteraemiaand CDAD may be inappropriately jeopardised and, in the future, hospital-acquired bacteraemia may become a key performance indicator for UK hospital trusts.