Beginning Aug. 13, new bottles for collecting blood cultures will be available throughout VUMC. The change to the new bottle is necessary as VUMC is switching suppliers due to a nationwide shortage of bottles from our previous vendor.
The new blood culture bottles from bioMerieux will be used for pediatric and adult (aerobic and anaerobic) collections. Please continue to use the BD blood culture bottles (Mvco/Lvtic) for fungal collections.
The new blood culture bottles:
- Differ in shape from the previous bottles
- Will require a different transfer device/adapter (insert must be removed from the adapter to connect the syringe with the blood sample to the new blood culture bottle (not applicable to fungal collection using the BD bottle).
- May be more sensitive in detecting bacteria (including common skin contaminants), so proper skin prep is essential to avoid contaminating the specimen
There will be no change in the blood culture volumes needing to be collected. Please continue to obtain the appropriate amount of blood. For adults, this is 10 mL per bottle; for pediatric patients, refer to VUMC’s weight-based blood collection guidance.
Additional guidance is forthcoming on continued stewardship efforts of our blood culture bottles.
