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Sputum quality: can you tell by looking?
1Laboratory Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104.
American Journal of Infection Control
|April 1, 1993
Summary
Nurses often lack training on sputum sample quality. Mucopurulent sputum, especially yellow, and tracheal aspirates are the most reliable indicators of good quality specimens for culture.
Area of Science:
- Medical Laboratory Science
- Respiratory Medicine
- Nursing Practice
Background:
- Nurses collect sputum samples for culture but often lack formal training on specimen quality assessment.
- Effective sputum culture relies on high-quality specimens, directly impacted by collection techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between macroscopic appearance of sputum samples and their microbiological quality.
- To identify visual indicators that predict good quality sputum specimens for culture.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 333 expectorated sputum and tracheal aspirate samples.
- Classification of specimen appearance: watery, mucoid, or mucopurulent.
- Correlation of visual appearance with specimen quality (good, fair, poor).
Main Results:
- 65% of expectorated sputum samples were of good or fair quality, irrespective of appearance.
- Mucopurulent expectorated sputum samples showed an 87% good or fair quality rate.
- Non-mucopurulent specimens lacked predictable quality markers.
Conclusions:
- Mucopurulent (yellow) sputum and tracheal aspirates are the most reliable indicators of good quality specimens.
- Visual assessment of sputum appearance can be improved with targeted training for nurses.