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Related Concept Videos

Decreased pulse rate01:14

Decreased pulse rate

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Bradycardia is a medical condition in which the heart rate is slower than normal. It occurs when the heart's natural pacemaker, the sinus node, generates slower electrical impulses than the standard rhythm. In adults, bradycardia is diagnosed when the pulse rate falls below 60 beats per minute, indicating a deviation from the normal heart rate range.
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Hair Cells01:22

Hair Cells

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Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
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Decreasing Function01:27

Decreasing Function

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A decreasing function describes a relationship where the output consistently declines as the input increases. This means that for any two input values, if one is greater than the other, the corresponding output is smaller. Mathematically, a function f is decreasing on an interval I if for every x1 < x2​ in I, f (x1) > f (x2). This type of behavior is visually identified on a graph that slopes downward from left to right.The nature of a function can be analyzed by calculating...
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Decreased Body Temperature01:29

Decreased Body Temperature

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A decreased body temperature can occur in patients with hypothermia and frostbite. Heat loss with extended cold exposure overpowers the body's ability to create heat, resulting in hypothermia. Core temperature readings help classify hypothermia. Mild hypothermia is temperatures between 32 °C (89.6 °F) and 35°C (95 °F) and is caused by impaired thermoregulation. Moderate hypothermia is temperatures between 28 C (82.4 °F) and 32 °C (89.6 °F) caused by...
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Contaminants and Errors01:16

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Effective sample preparation is crucial for accurate and reliable laboratory analysis. During this process, two significant sources of error can arise: concentration bias from improper sample splitting and contamination caused by methods used to reduce particle size, such as grinding or homogenization. Identifying and minimizing these potential errors is crucial to ensuring the validity of the analysis.
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Administering Oxygen by Mask01:30

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Administering Oxygen by Mask
Administering oxygen by mask is a common nursing intervention that provides supplemental oxygen to patients with respiratory distress or chronic lung conditions. This procedure involves delivering oxygen at a specified rate through a face mask connected to an oxygen source.
Equipment
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Simplified Human Neutrophil Extracellular Traps NETs Isolation and Handling
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Use of hair nets and face masks to decrease blood culture contamination rates.

Amanda M Sanders1, William A Agger2, Alicia M Gray3

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Gundersen Health System, 1900 South Avenue, La Crosse, WI, 54601, USA.

Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease
|May 12, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Implementing staff training and personal protective equipment, like hair nets and face masks, significantly reduced blood culture contamination rates in a hospital setting. These interventions improved specimen collection quality and patient safety.

Keywords:
Blood culture contaminationBlood culture contamination reductionFace masksFalse-positive blood cultureHair netsPhlebotomist

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Area of Science:

  • Clinical Microbiology
  • Healthcare Quality Improvement
  • Infection Prevention

Background:

  • High blood culture contamination rates (3.2%) exceeded the target (<3%) at a Midwestern hospital.
  • Persistent contamination impacts diagnostic accuracy and patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of a series of additive interventions to reduce blood culture contamination.
  • To identify key strategies for improving specimen collection quality.

Main Methods:

  • A multi-faceted intervention strategy was implemented sequentially.
  • Interventions included individual contamination rate reporting, staff retraining, use of hair nets and face masks, and task reallocation for specimen collection.

Main Results:

  • Initial retraining led to a modest decrease (3.2% to 2.8%, P=0.23).
  • Adding hair nets and face masks significantly reduced contamination (2.8% to 1.1%, P<0.0001).
  • Replacing nursing staff with phlebotomists did not significantly alter contamination rates (P=0.81).
  • Overall contamination decreased from 3.2% to 1.2% (P=0.0013).

Conclusions:

  • A combination of staff education and personal protective equipment (hair nets, face masks) is highly effective in reducing blood culture contamination.
  • Phlebotomist-led specimen collection did not further improve contamination rates.
  • Systematic interventions can significantly enhance the quality of blood specimen collection.