Blood culture bottle shortage mitigation efforts: analysis of impact on ordering and patient impact

In June of 2024, Becton Dickinson experienced a blood culture bottle shortage for their BACTEC system, forcing health systems to reduce usage or risk exhausting their supply. Virginia Commonwealth University Health System (VCUHS) in Richmond, VA decided that it was necessary to implement austerity measures to preserve the blood culture bottle supply.

VCUHS includes a main campus in Richmond, VA as well as two affiliate hospitals in South Hill, VA (Community Memorial Hospital (CMH)) and Tappahannock Hospital in Tappahannock, VA. It also includes a free-standing Emergency Department in New Kent, VA.

Blood cultures from both pediatric and adult patients were included in this study.

VCUHS intervened to decrease blood culture utilization across the entire health system. Interventions included communication of blood culture guidance as well as an electronic health record order designed to guide providers and discourage wasteful ordering.

Post-implementation analyses showed that interventions reduced overall usage by 35.6% (P < .0001) and by greater than 40% in the Emergency Departments. The impact of these changes in utilization on positivity were analyzed, and it was found that the overall positivity rate increased post-intervention from 8.8% to 12.1% (P = .0115) and in the ED specifically from 10.2% to 19.5% (P < .0001).

These findings strongly suggest that some basic stewardship interventions can significantly change blood culture practice in a manner that minimizes the impact on patient care.