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Do Emergency Department Blood Cultures Change Practice in Patients With Pneumonia? by Maura Kennedy; David W. Bates; Sharon B. Wright; Raul Ruiz; Richard E. Wolfe; Nathan I. Shapiro is a Medicine article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Do Emergency Department Blood Cultures Change Practice in Patients With Pneumonia? about?

Study objective: Although it is considered standard of care to obtain blood cultures on patients hospitalized for pneumonia, several studies have questioned the utility and cost-effectiveness of this practice. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of emergency department (ED) blood cultures on antimicrobial therapy for patients with pneumonia. Methods: We performed a prospective, observational, cohort study of consecutive adult (age R18 years) patients treated at an urban university ED between February 1, 2000 and February 1, 2001. Inclusion criteria were radiographic evidence of pneumonia, clinical evidence of pneumonia, and blood culture obtained. Blood cultures were classified as positive, negative, or contaminant based on previously established criteria. Additionally, data were collected on antimicrobial sensitivities, empiric antibiotic therapy, antibiotic changes, and reasons for changes. Results: There were 3,926 ED visits with blood cultures obtained for any reason, of which 3,762 (96%) were available for review. Of these, 414 of 3,762 (11%) patients met pneumonia study inclusion criteria, and blood cultures identified 29 of 414 (7.0%) patients with true ba

Who reads Do Emergency Department Blood Cultures Change Practice in Patients With Pneumonia??

Author

Maura Kennedy; David W. Bates; Sharon B. Wright; Raul Ruiz; Richard E. Wolfe; Nathan I. Shapiro

Publisher

Elsevier Science; Elsevier ; Mosby Inc.; Elsevier BV (ISSN 1097-6760)

Published

2005

Language

EN

Field

Medicine (Health Sciences)