Method of blood sample collection for culture

Public Health England, 2014

To minimise contamination, blood culture samples must always be collected using aseptic technique¹.

Samples should preferably be taken from a peripheral venipuncture site. Samples may be collected through a peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) immediately after insertion but should never be collected from older peripheral intravenous catheters, because of the risk of contamination.

Sampling from a central venous access device (eg central venous catheter [CVC], peripherally inserted central catheter [PICC] line, Hickman catheter, haemodialysis catheter) should generally be avoided. However, samples can be taken from a central venous access device if:

• there is clinical suspicion of an infection involving the device
• obtaining blood from a peripheral site is difficult
• samples are taken at the time of device insertion.

When a bloodstream infection associated with a central venous access device is suspected, samples should be collected both peripherally and from the central venous access device.

Arterial blood samples offer no advantage over venous blood samples.