[A year of blood cultures at the Associated Hospitals of Trieste: a critical evaluation of the clinico-laboratory approach to the patient with suspected bacteremia].

The authors evaluated the 2956 blood cultures performed in a multispecialist hospital in Trieste (Italy) during a whole year. A computer assisted analysis of the data pointed out that a single blood culture performed in a bacteremic patient could reveal 93% of positivities, two blood cultures in the same day at least 96.6% and three at least 98.3%. Furthermore, in suspected bacteremic patients who received several blood cultures in subsequent days, the chance for a second day culture to reveal a bacteremia not pointed out in the first day was less than 4%, while it was 0% for the following days. These results assess the importance of a correct approach to the suspected bacteremic patient, and point out the usefulness of performing at most three blood cultures in the first day of clinical suspicion of bacteremia.