Maximizing the yield from blood cultures in suspected infective endocarditis.
The laboratory test of paramount importance in patients with suspected infective endocarditis is blood culture. This article considers the generations-old problem of the timing and frequency of these cultures, describes techniques to increase their yield, and outlines measures to take whenever special cultures fail to identify the etiologic agent.
D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans