Usefulness of Blood Culture for Hospitalized Patients Who Are Receiving Antibiotic Therapy

We conducted a retrospective study to determine the yield of blood samples drawn for culture during the initial 72 h of antibiotic therapy given to 139 patients who were admitted to the hospital for community-acquired infections or fever. The yield of these blood cultures was predictable and rarely (in only 1 patient 0.72%) isolated new pathogens.