What we do and don’t know about the shortage of blood culture bottles
In July, federal health officials warned hospitals that there would be a critical shortage of blood culture bottles that will stretch into September.
Blood culture bottles are key in diagnosing sepsis, a deadly infection of the bloodstream caused by a number of different bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of U.S. labs get their bottles from a company known as BD, the supplier that is in shortage, meaning that the shortage could have big implications for patient care. Every hour that antibiotics are delayed in treating sepsis results in a 7.6% decrease in patient survival.
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