NICE has said that Kurin Lock can be used in the NHS to reduce contamination in blood culture collection while more evidence is generated about how well it works. It can be used in emergency departments with high blood culture contamination rates.
Kurin Lock is used to collect blood samples, which are cultured to check for bloodstream infections or sepsis. When a blood sample is taken, Kurin Lock isolates the first bit of the sample, and does not test this for infection. This is because the first bit of blood is more likely to be contaminated by microbes on the skin, which can give a positive result for infection when there is none (false positive). Reducing the number of false positive results can reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.
Information and support
You can get support from your local Healthwatch.
NICE is not responsible for the quality or accuracy of any information or advice provided by these organisations.
ISBN: 978-1-4731-5843-6
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