The Impact of Initial Specimen Diversion Systems on Blood Culture Contamination

Abstract Blood culture contamination is associated with increased antimicrobial use, length of stay, and hospital cost. To address this problem, blood culture diversion has been developed as an additional measure to reduce contamination to targeted goals. Three different versions were proposed, including an open technique and 2 commercially available devices. This study aims to review the existing literature and analyze evidence for these 3 techniques. Blood culture contamination is associated with unnecessary antibiotic use and hospital cost. Blood culture diversion techniques have been implemented with varying methods and results. This literature review highlights the need for a meta-analysis to inform providers about the optimal technique.