Utility of Routine Blood Cultures for Upper Extremity Abscesses

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Surgical Infections
• Diagnostic Utility

Background:

• Patients with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) often require hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics and surgical drainage.
• Blood cultures are routinely collected in emergency departments for patients with SSTIs.
• The utility of blood cultures in upper extremity abscesses requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the value of blood cultures in patients with upper extremity abscesses.
• To assess the association between blood cultures and incision and drainage (I&D) procedures.
• To evaluate the impact of blood cultures on readmission rates and hospital length of stay.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 314 patients (18-89 years) undergoing I&D for upper extremity abscesses.
• Analysis of demographic data, comorbidities, laboratory values, and culture results.
• Evaluation of I&D procedure count, hospital length of stay, and readmission rates.

Main Results:

• Increasing age and white blood cell count correlated with more I&D procedures.
• Blood cultures, positive or negative, were linked to longer hospital stays.
• No association was found between blood cultures and the number of I&D procedures on multivariable analysis.
• Positive blood cultures were associated with higher readmission rates.

Conclusions:

• Routine blood cultures for upper extremity abscesses may not be beneficial.
• Blood cultures do not increase the number of I&D procedures or readmission rates.
• Blood cultures, irrespective of positivity, are associated with increased hospital length of stay.