Evaluation of the buffy-coat smear for rapid detection of bacteremia.
Buffy-coat smears prepared from 599 blood samples, obtained simultaneously with blood for culture, were examined for bacteria. Each blood sample was quantitatively cultured on chocolate agar. Twenty-one blood cultures (3.6%) from 17 patients were positive. Two (11.7%) of the 17 patients had positive buffy-coat smears. One patient had two positive smears, for a total of three positive buffy-coat smears from 21 positive blood cultures. Chart reviews were performed for two patients with positive buffy-coat smears, three patients with positive blood cultures (containing the same organisms as the two study patients) but negative buffy-coat smears, and six additional patients who had had positive buffy-coat smears between 1974 and 1979. Of the eight patients with positive smears, six (75%) were infected with Gram-positive cocci, three of which were Streptococcus pneumoniae. Mortality was 100%.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000254:growth & development; D013997:Time Factors