Prevention of contamination of microhemocultures. Value of a new instrument, the hemopipette
Labarthe, J.C.; Huguet, B.; Borderon, J.C.; Chalvidan, M.C.; Gold, F.; Laugier, J.
Presse Medicale 12(42): 2689-2691
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0755-4982 PMID: 6228819 Document Number: 206921
We have experimented with a new instrument, "hemopipette", known to reduce the incidence of contamination in small samples of capillary blood for haemoculture. Without altering our usual skin asepsis procedure, we carried out 270 microhaemocultures in 240 neonates. Two haemocultures (0.74%) were contaminated, a significantly lower percentage than the 3.6% observed in a first series of 411 microsamples obtained prior to the introduction of "hemopipette". This fall in contamination rate appears to be associated with the use of this instrument which combines a pipette and a lancet and facilitates capillary blood withdrawal.