Impact of Using Automated Blood Culture System on the Isolation Success of Causative Agents of Parapneumonic Effusions

Abstract

Background: Complicated parapneumonic pleural effusion causes high morbidity and mortality. Identification of the etiological agent is the key element for appropriate treatment. The aim of this study is to investigate whether getting the higher isolation rate of causative bacterial agent is possible by additional bedside blood culture method for parapneumonic effusion samples.Materials and Methods: Parapneumonic effusion samples taken from patients with pneumonia between January 2015 and January 2018 were studied in the referral hospital for thoracic diseases in Turkey. Samples were processed by both standard and bedside BacT/Alert blood culture method. Isolation and identification of bacterial agents were done by standard microbiological methods. The descriptive statistics were applied.Results: Fifty one patients with pneumonia accompanied by parapneumonic effusion, who met the inclusion criteria, were included in the study. Bacterial agents were isolated by standard microbiological method in 3 (5.9%) patients and in 11 (21.5%) patients by blood culture bottle at the bedside method. Conclusion:The bedside blood culture bottle method has been found more sensitive than the standard culture method for the detection of bacterial pathogens in parapneumonic effusions.