Specimen Requirements

Specimen Type: Whole blood
Container/Tube:

Adult: Two blood culture bottles (aerobic and anaerobic set/available from Rice Lab)
Pediatric: One pediatric blood culture bottle (available from Rice Lab)
Specimen Volume:
Adult: 20 mL of whole blood, 10 mL per bottle (preferred)
Pediatric: 3 mL
Specimen Minimum Volume:
Adult: 5 mL in aerobic bottle, only
Pediatric: 1 mL
Collection Instructions:

1. Remove plastic cover from the bottles and discard.
2. Wipe top of stopper with isopropyl alcohol.
3. Prepare venipuncture site with appropriate cleanser (iodine followed by isopropyl alcohol or ChloraPrep SEPP) using an increasing circular pattern starting at the projected point of needle insertion.
4. Allow to dry. Proceed with venipuncture.
5. Fill each bottle with an appropriate amount of blood; the volume of blood submitted for culture is critical to the recovery of possible sepsis.
Adult: 5-10 mL (two bottles are routinely collected per order; 11-20 mL total volume aerobic/anaerobic.)
*For short sample draw (total of 4-10 mL-use aerobic adult bottle only.)
Pediatric: 1-3 mL for pediatric bottle.
Additional Information:

1. When ordering more than one set of cultures, at least 30 minutes between sets is recommended.

2. No more than 3 culture orders per 24 hours should be processed. (6 bottles total).

3. If submitting either as Culture, Blood Product or Transfusion Reaction Blood Culture, please indicate the appropriate source on the request form.