Determining Time to Positivity of Blood Cultures in a Neonatal Unit

We report on the time it takes for bacteria to grow in blood cultures from newborns admitted to our NICU. Empirical antibiotic therapy could be stopped if bacterial growth is not detected within 24 hours of blood culture being processed. Blood cultures are the gold standard for detecting bacteremia. We have studied the time to positivity of blood cultures in our neonatal unit to reduce antibiotic doses in patients with a negative blood culture. Empirical antibiotic treatment of neonatal sepsis could be withdrawn 24 hours after obtaining blood cultures.

Automated summary

We conducted a study on the time required for bacterial growth in blood cultures from newborns in our NICU, aiming to reduce antibiotic dosage. The time to positivity of blood cultures can determine the need for empirical antibiotic treatment.