Contaminant Organism Growth in Febrile Infants at Low Risk for Invasive Bacterial Infection

Abstract

In this multicenter, cross-sectional, secondary analysis of 4042 low-risk febrile infants, nearly 10% had a contaminated culture obtained during their evaluation (4.9% of blood cultures, 5.0% of urine cultures, and 1.8% of cerebrospinal fluid cultures). Our findings have important implications for improving sterile technique and reducing unnecessary cultures.

Keywords: blood cultures; cerebrospinal fluid; emergency department; patient safety; urine cultures.