Evaluating blood culture collection practice in children hospitalized with acute illness at a tertiary hospital in Malawi.
Mukhula VT., Harawa PP., Phiri C., Khoswe S., Mbale E., Tigoi C., Walson JL., Berkley JA., Bandsma R., Iroh Tam P-Y., Voskuijl W.
BackgroundBlood culture collection practice in low-resource settings where routine blood culture collection is available has not been previously described.MethodologyWe conducted a secondary descriptive analysis of children aged 2-23 months enrolled in the Malawi Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) study, stratified by whether an admission blood culture had been undertaken and by nutritional status. Chi-square test was used to compare the differences between groups.ResultsA total of 347 children were included, of whom 161 (46%) had a blood culture collected. Children who had a blood culture collected, compared to those who did not, were more likely to present with sepsis (43% vs. 20%, p ConclusionBlood culture collection was more frequent in children with sepsis and gastroenteritis, but was not associated with mortality. In low-resource settings, developing criteria for blood culture based on risk factors rather than clinician judgement may better utilize the existing resources.