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BACKGROUND: Blood cultures are a common investigation for children admitted to hospital. In routine practice, it takes at least 24 hours to identify an organism as a contaminant or clinically significant. FilmArray Blood Culture Identification Panel (FA-BCIP) is a multiplex polymerase chain reaction that can detect 24 pathogens within 1 hour. We assessed whether results from FA-BCIP lead to changes in clinical management in a tertiary referral paediatric hospital. METHODS: We prospectively studied children having blood cultures taken at our tertiary children's hospital. Blood cultures were monitored and organisms identified using standard methods. FA-BCIP was performed when growth was initially detected in first positive blood cultures per episode, between January 1 and June 30, 2014. Assessment of whether the FA-BCIP result altered clinical management was made, specifically focused on antimicrobial stewardship and length of stay. RESULTS: FA-BCIP was done on 117 positive blood cultures; 74 (63%) grew clinically significant organisms, 43 (37%) grew contaminants. FA-BCIP results were judged to alter clinical management in 63 of the 117 episodes (54%). Antimicrobials were started/altered in 23 (19%) episodes and de-escalated/withheld/stopped in 29 (25%) episodes. Ten children were discharged from hospital earlier, which saved a cumulative total of 14 bed days. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid identification of microorganisms in pediatric blood cultures by FA-BCIP, led to changes in clinical management for half of the episodes. This improved antimicrobial stewardship and allowed early discharge from hospital for 10% of children. Future studies should focus on how best to use this technology in a cost-effective manner.

Original publication

DOI

10.1097/INF.0000000000001065

Type

Journal

Pediatr Infect Dis J

Publication Date

05/2016

Volume

35

Pages

e134 - e138

Keywords

Adolescent, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Blood, Blood Culture, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Hospitals, Pediatric, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Length of Stay, Male, Molecular Diagnostic Techniques, Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction, Prospective Studies, Sepsis, Tertiary Care Centers, Time Factors, Young Adult