Timely and accurate antibiotic treatment early during the course of suspected Bloodstream Infection (BSI) has been shown to improve a patient's prognosis. Blood cultures should be collected before the initiation of empiric antibiotic treatment and thus a conventional Gram staining result may be available within a few hours. Although rapid advance are being made in bacterial identification methodology, the Gram stain of a positive blood culture still has an important role to play. The Gram stain is very accurate and the result may help decide quickly on the early appropriate antimicrobial treatment. Combining the stain results with information on whether the infection is hospital- or community-acquired may further assist in coming to the decision about the best antimicrobial treatment for BSI.
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Last date updated on September, 2024